Guilty Pleasures
by SunnyMagicKingdom
Summary: "Sakura, can you give these handouts to Sasuke Uchiha?" I sighed in frustration when Kakashi-sensei asked me to visit Sasuke, a rising star who had been too busy to attend school. We've known each other for nine years but had always argued so we didn't exactly got along well. But who would have known a single visit led to great changes. Hatred was never there anyway. (AU)
1. A Different Perspective

Author's Note: This is my fifth Naruto fanfic and I'm featuring the Sasuke/Sakura pairing for the second time. I hope you'll like it!

P.S. Ratings for this fanfic might be changed to M later. It depends on how the story flows. Just warning those who might not like M-rated fanfics.

Enjoy reading the first chapter!

Chapter 1: A Different Perspective

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"Sakura, can you give these handouts to Sasuke Uchiha?"

I glared at Kakashi-sensei and sighed in frustration.

Classes had ended for the day but my homeroom teacher, Kakashi-sensei, asked me to stay back for a while. He said he needed my help with something.

I had a bad feeling when he said that and now I understood why.

"Why can't you ask someone else to do that, Kakashi-sensei? I'm sure a lot of girls from our class would be more than happy to help you."

Kakashi-sensei knew that Sasuke and I never got along well. I had been attending the same school, which was Konoha Academy, with Sasuke since primary school. Now that we were in our first year of senior high school, we had practically known each other for nine years.

But we just never got along well.

I lost count on the number of times we argued or had endless debates regarding almost everything. We never saw eye to eye.

Surprisingly, there were some things we both agreed on. We agreed that Gai-sensei was a total weirdo and Kakashi-sensei was an old pervert.

But nobody would disagree to those.

Anyways, I just didn't want to meet Sasuke. Ever since Sasuke debuted a year ago, he had been extremely busy. It was worse lately and he only went to school once or twice in two weeks. Sasuke was a genius so he didn't have much problems catching up with the lessons and he still spared time to submit his assignments.

"I thought the two of you get along well." Kakashi-sensei said with a smile under his mask.

"Are you serious?" I said and sighed in frustration again. "I don't think he wants to see me. I still think it's a better idea to ask one of his fan girls to visit him."

"I am sure Sasuke would hate it much more if I sent a fan girl to visit him. Can you do me a favour, Sakura? Please?" Kakashi-sensei had one of his 'I-don't-accept-no-as-an-answer' smiles on his face. It was both scary and very persuasive.

I couldn't stop another sigh from escaping as I took the papers from Kakashi-sensei's hands.

"Great. I know I could count of you, Sakura. You're definitely my best student." Kakashi-sensei's flattering didn't help me feel better. "There are assignments among those handouts as well. Tell Sasuke he can submit the assignments through his older brother."

Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha, was a final year student in our school. He was the smartest in his batch and also one of the smartest students in our school. The Uchiha brothers had four things in common; intelligence, good looks, popularity and a confident aura.

I found it unfair that both brothers inherited such incredible genes.

I excused myself and left Kakashi-sensei in the classroom. When I was walking through the corridor, I took my phone out from my pocket and called Sasuke.

For someone as busy as he was, he picked up rather fast.

"What?"

His rude tone pissed me off instantly.

"Kakashi-sensei asked me to give you some handouts and assignments." I tried to calm myself down. Flaring up wasn't good for the health, after all.

"Hn. I'm in my apartment right now. I'll text you the address."

I didn't bother replying him and hung up. I held onto my phone tightly and was thinking of different ways to kill him.

I unconsciously sighed, which wasn't a good thing. Sighing too much would make me age faster.

I continued killing Sasuke in my mind as I walked towards the car park. I got into my black Audi car and checked the text I received from Sasuke.

Not surprisingly, Sasuke lived at one of the most luxurious apartments in Tokyo.

I rolled my eyes and drove away from school.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I was laying down on the couch at the living room after Sakura hung up on me. I was filming a commercial since 6 AM and I only got the chance to rest now.

Ever since I became busier with my work, I rented an apartment and lived by myself often. It was more convenient living on my own and it gave me the peace and quiet I needed after long hours of endless working.

I still often visit my family, of course. Whenever I had the time, I would go back and have meals with them.

But I was busy with recording my new album and filming commercials these days so I had been living in my apartment for quite some time.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I had been outdoors for a long time in the morning and afternoon for the commercial. I was honestly very tired and all I wanted to do was sleep for the rest of the day.

I changed my mind when Sakura called though.

Sakura was probably the only girl I knew who couldn't stand being around me. We had been arguing for ages. Unlike most girls back in school, she didn't bother trying to impress me or to get me to notice her.

She didn't have to though because I noticed her without her trying to seek attention.

One of the reasons was her natural pink hair. Some other reasons include her intelligence and her temper.

Her pissed off face suddenly appeared in my mind and I couldn't control the soft laughter that escaped me. I was reminded of the time Sakura and I were arguing about what could be under Kakashi-sensei's mask.

We had different opinions and neither of us wanted to back down. It was a stupid argument but I had fun.

I enjoyed being around Sakura because she didn't hide her true self. She wasn't fake like most people around me. And even after I became famous, she didn't change how she acted around me.

She didn't seem to enjoy being around me though. But that just made things more amusing in my eyes.

As my mind began formulating new ideas on how to annoy Sakura, I walked to the window of my apartment which faced the car park. I spotted Sakura's fancy black car arriving and I watched as she parked it.

Sakura's family owned one of Japan's most successful hospitals. Her family and mine were business partners and founded a biomedical technology company together. Despite coming from a wealthy family, Sakura was not arrogant and was definitely not a spendthrift. That was another reason why I respected her. And I admired her for having a dream to become a doctor in the future too.

After Sakura came out from her car, it didn't take a long time before I heard my doorbell rang.

When I opened the door, I tried not to laugh at what I saw. Sakura was glaring at me in a way that seemed as if she wanted to create a hole on my face. She was clearly pissed off, just like usual.

"You look fine, Sakura." I said in a sarcastic tone. I knew very well that she hated this tone of mine. She called it arrogant and annoying, which was true.

"I am absolutely fine, Sasuke. I was so excited to meet you after so long." Sakura replied with a more sarcastic tone. She pretended to cry as she spoke, adding dramatic touches to what she said.

I rolled my eyes at her and she did the same to me. She entered my apartment and made herself comfortable on the couch. I put the papers she had on her hand on top of the coffee table in my living room.

"These are handouts for the past two weeks. There are assignments too and Kakashi-sensei said you can submit them through your older brother if you're too busy to go to school yourself."

I sat down beside Sakura and looked through the papers she just brought for me. It wasn't difficult but being away from school for too long didn't help make things easier.

I didn't have much time to review my studies and it made simple things more difficult to be answered.

"By the way, there are midterms coming up in two weeks."

I groaned and closed my eyes in frustration.

 _"_ _Perfect. And I won't have time to study this week and next week."_ I thought as I massaged my temple.

"Let me guess. You don't have time to review?" Sakura said as she took some of the handouts from me and looked through it.

"I'll be very busy this week and next week. I won't have any time to review. Plus, there is just too much catching up to do." This was probably the first time I complained in front of Sakura. More like, the first time I ever complained in front of anyone. Complaining wasn't exactly a charismatic thing to do and I didn't like to appear whiny.

But I was frustrated at that moment. I knew that if I reviewed just a little bit, I could easy pass the midterms. But I wouldn't be satisfied with just passing marks. I've always had one of the highest grades in my batch and I wouldn't want to settle for anything less than that.

"I was warned that trying to obtain a balance between career and studies is difficult. Now I know what they meant. I wouldn't be happy with a successful career if my studies aren't going well." I sighed as I continued letting out the thoughts I had inside my head.

Sakura was awfully quiet. I found it unusual and turned to look at her.

She seemed to be deep in thought as she stared at my papers. After a few moments of silence, she looked at me and said something surprising.

"Why don't I help you review for the midterms?"

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

It made more sense if I would roll my eyes at Sasuke and ignored the plight he was in. If he wasn't doing well for his midterms, it would be one less competition for me. When it came to grades, my biggest rivals were Sasuke, Neji and Shikamaru.

I still didn't understand why the three of them were so smart, especially Shikamaru. He never paid attention in class!

But when I saw the desperation in Sasuke's eyes, I knew I needed to help him out. I wouldn't feel good if I gained the upper hand this way. I would rather enjoy a fair competition with Sasuke instead of winning because he wasn't able to review.

And it was responsible of him to still care so much about his studies even though he was doing great with his career. It made me respect him.

So, being the kind soul I am, something inside me told me I must lend him a helping hand.

"What did you say?" Sasuke seemed more surprised than I was at my words. His eyes are wide as he stared at me.

"I will help you review for the midterms." I spoke at a slower pace and louder voice. I wouldn't want him to keep asking me to repeat my words.

"Did the world turn upside down?" Sasuke said as he narrowed his eyes at me.

I rolled my eyes at him and said, "You sound so ridiculous. So, do you want my help or not?"

"I do." Sasuke said. "You'll be a great help. Thanks a lot, Sakura."

"Don't mention it. I am not that evil to ignore you after listening to your rants." I said and saw Sasuke getting slightly embarrassed. He wasn't the type to complain since it would hurt his image. But I was glad he opened up to me. At the end of the day, Sasuke was still a normal human being and things wouldn't always go smoothly.

Sasuke got up from the sofa to get us some drinks from the fridge. I took this opportunity to look around. The kitchen was connected with the living room and there was a bar. The apartment wasn't that big but it was beautifully decorated. The floors were made of pine wood and the walls were painted white. All the furniture looked expensive and brand new and I was sure they were indeed as pricey as they seemed. There was a door which I assumed was to the bedroom and another door at the side was probably the bathroom.

Overall, it was a great place.

"So, when are you free to review?" I asked when Sasuke came back with two cans of soda in his hands.

"My schedule often changes so I couldn't give you a definite answer. I'll be free tomorrow afternoon though." Sasuke opened the cans of soda and gave one to me.

I thanked him when I got the drink from him and took a sip. It was a rather hot day and a nice cold soda was perfect.

"Do you have WhatsApp? If you do, just send me a message through WhatsApp whenever you are free to review. If I am free too, we can review together." WhatsApp was a convenient app for chatting and I always used it to talk to my other friends too. I even had a WhatsApp group with some of my closest friends; Ino, Tenten and Hinata.

That WhatsApp group was often used for useless but fun gossiping though.

"I do have WhatsApp. I'll inform you when I'm free then. Can you come here tomorrow after you're done with school? I should be done with filming by then." Sasuke took another sip of soda and it was then when I realized he looked tired.

He had eye bags and his skin was paler than usual. It kind of made me want to comfort him but I knew he wouldn't like me to do that.

"Sure. I'm free tomorrow. I'll bring along additional materials and some exercises. We can start with Mathematics since it's the first midterm." Before I stood up to leave, I took a bigger gulp of soda and finished the whole can.

Sasuke walked me to the door and thanked me again.

"Thanks a lot, Sakura."

I smiled at him, which was something I hadn't done in a long time. It was a genuine smile, of course. It wasn't the usual sarcastic smirk I gave him whenever he got onto my nerve.

"See you tomorrow, Sasuke. You better rest well now."

I waved at the exhausted Sasuke and walked to my car.

My home was a 15 minutes ride away from Sasuke's apartment. After I parked my car in the garage of my house, I walked to the living room where my parents were watching TV.

"I'm back." I announced and sat down on the sofa with them. It was only then when I realized there was a new plasma TV in the living room. I didn't often watch TV so it didn't really concern me that much.

"Welcome back, sweetheart. Where have you been? School ended over two hours ago." My mother asked me and put her arms around my shoulder.

"My teacher asked me to give Sasuke some handouts since he had not been to school a lot lately." I answered and grabbed a magazine on the table.

"How has been Sasuke doing? I heard his showbiz career is doing great." My father asked, for once having his eyes away from the TV ever since I arrived. It was my father's favourite TV show on air so I wasn't surprised he was putting almost all his concentration into watching.

My parents knew Sasuke for a long time, probably even longer than I did. My family and Sasuke's family founded a biomedical technology company even before Sasuke and I were born. Both families had been close to each other ever since. Sasuke and I sometimes followed our parents when they visited each other's houses. It gave the two of us more chances to argue and debate about anything under the skies.

"He looked tired." I answered and found an article about Sasuke in the magazine. It was about his new album he had been recording. "I feel bad for him so I agreed to help him review for the midterms."

"That's nice of you." My mother said and pulled me into an embrace. "And who knows, you two might start a romantic relationship."

"Impossible." I answered instantly and my mother had a disappointed look on her face.

Not wanting to hear my mother speaking about romance, I stood up and walked upstairs to my room. I was still reading the article about Sasuke when I heard my father said, "Nothing is impossible!"

The next day at school, I was hanging around with Ino, Tenten and Hinata at one of the gardens at school. We just had our lunch and there were still time before lunch break was over. I always loved breathing in the fresh outdoor air with the company of my closest friends.

Ino could be loud most of the times but I got used to it already.

"There is a new dessert shop near our school and I heard it's nice. Let's go there after school!" Ino suggested as she played her phone. She probably heard about that shop from Instagram, facebook or some other social media.

"Sorry, I can't join today. You guys can go without me." I loved desserts but I didn't forget that I was going to review with Sasuke that day.

"Where are you going?" Tenten asked.

"I promised Sasuke I'll help him review today after school."

"Are you two dating now?" I rolled my eyes when Ino instantly jumped to that conclusion.

"No."

Besides myself, my closest friends weren't fan girls of Sasuke's. They were all too in love with other guys. Ino couldn't get her hands off Shikamaru, Tenten couldn't get enough of Neji and Hinata couldn't stop fainting around Naruto.

"I can imagine how furious Sasuke's fan girls will be if they found out you're giving their prince a private tutorial." Tenten said and laughed at her own words.

I knew who Tenten was referring to. Some of Sasuke's fan girls were crazy. They would go berserk if they found out I was helping Sasuke with revision.

One of the most detestable fan girls of all time was Karin Uzumaki. She was the person I hated most in my life so far. She annoyed me in ways I didn't know was even possible.

"Just imaging Karin finding out about it gives me goose bumps." I said and my friends laughed at my silly expression.

We went back to our respective classrooms when the bell rang. I was glad that the four of us were still close to one another despite being in different homeroom classes. I wouldn't know what to do without friends like them.

The rest of the day ended rather quickly and I took out Mathematics textbooks from my locker. I brought along notes I took during lessons and some exercises I found on the internet. I was on my way to the car park when I thought of something.

 _"_ _I should bring some snacks or desserts for Sasuke. It is kind of sad to see his energy totally drained from him."_

It still amazed me how he still had the motivation to study after a long day of working.

I knew Sasuke loved the red velvet cakes from a bakery near our school. He didn't tell people about it because he thought it was a girly thing to like. I found out about this liking of his when I went to his home once and saw the cake at the dining table.

Sasuke's mother told me Sasuke loved the cake so much that he would buy it at least twice a week.

Before that day, I wouldn't imagine Sasuke as someone with a sweet tooth.

With a box with a red velvet cake inside and a backpack full of textbooks and notes, I rang the doorbell of Sasuke's apartment.

The door opened soon after and Sasuke was in a worse state than yesterday. He looked like a demon had sucked his soul out of him.

"You look terrible." I had always been honest with him and I would stay that way even during his worst moments.

Sasuke just groaned in response and opened the door wider to let me enter. When he closed the door behind him, I held up the box to his face.

I swear; Sasuke's face lit up instantly. I wasn't exaggerating.

He took the box from my hands slowly and with care, as if it was something precious and fragile.

"How did you know I like the cakes from this bakery?" Sasuke asked as he walked towards the kitchen and placed the box on the dining table. He was in for a greater surprise when he opened the box. "You even know my favourite cake?!"

At that moment, I couldn't stop myself from giggling as I watched Sasuke acted like a child with his favourite food.

"I found out about it when I went to your house once." I answered and for once, Sasuke wasn't bothered that I was giggling at him.

The earlier exhaustion he had was almost gone and I was glad the cake did the trick.

Sasuke went to one of the cabinets and got two forks. He turned to me with a childish grin on his face, "I've always wanted to eat a whole cake directly without slicing it and looks like today is the day for that."

I took one of the forks from him and smiled.

"Today is our lucky day then."

In just a while, I saw parts of Sasuke which I never knew existed before. It gave me a warm feeling inside as I managed to get to know the guy in front of me better.

I guess he was more than just a person to argue with.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed reading! Please review so I know what you guys think of this story. I would update as soon as possible and in the mean time, you guys might want to check out my other Naruto fanfics. Thank you for reading!


	2. Sincerity

Author's Note: Reading positive reviews made me so happy! Thank you everyone for reading the first chapter and even follow/favourite the fanfic. I promise to continue working harder to improve this story. Please enjoy chapter 2 as well!

Chapter 2: Sincerity

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

It's been a week since I started helping Sasuke with reviews for the midterms. It was Monday and the midterms were starting in exactly a week from then. I was walking to class after parking my car when I heard girls screaming in their annoying high pitch voices.

And somehow, I knew what was going on.

I turned around with a groan and saw what I expected. It was Sasuke and he was surrounded by a bunch of girls. Actually, saying it was a bunch of girls was an understatement.

I rolled my eyes and was about to mind my own business when my name was suddenly called out.

"Sakura."

I recognized it was Sasuke's voice and cursed under my breath. The last thing I wanted to happen was Sasuke talking to me in front of his fan girls. It would be very troublesome.

Okay, I felt like Shikamaru for using the word 'troublesome' but having anything to do with Sasuke's fanatic fan girls was indeed a pain in the ass.

I slowly turned around as I continued cursing and tried to put on a smile as Sasuke walked towards me.

"Good morning." Sasuke greeted casually, as if the girls behind him were invisible.

"Morning." I replied and dreadfully took a peek at Sasuke's fan girls. I swore I could feel their evil aura without even looking at them in the eyes.

They were all giving me deadly glares and I had uncountable pairs of narrowed eyes piercing through me.

"You just made me the number one most hated girl in school. Thanks, Sasuke. I appreciate it a lot." I whispered as softly as I could.

"Ignore them. Do me a favour and let me walk to the classroom with you. I'm too tired to deal with them."

When I started walking alongside Sasuke, I noticed how tired he looked. His eye bags were obvious and he was paler than usual. I didn't meet him at all during the weekends because his schedule was packed until night time.

"You don't look so good." I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned at all. It would be troublesome if he suddenly fainted, after all.

 _"_ _Oh Sakura, could you stop using the word 'troublesome'? You're sounding a whole lot like that lazy ass, Shikamaru."_ I thought as I looked around at the numerous girls glaring at me.

I rolled my eyes at them and didn't quite care about being hated anymore. I didn't like them either, anyway.

I entered the classroom and the first pair of eyes I made contact with was Ino's. She had a mischievous look on her face when she saw me and I knew she would force me to tell her what was going on between Sasuke and I.

But there was indeed nothing going on between me and the Uchiha superstar.

All that happened was the two of us reviewing for the midterms together in his apartment.

Alright, that sounded suspicious. A guy and girl alone in an apartment sounded scandalous and if Ino knew about that, it would be the end of me. She would definitely jump to the wrong conclusion.

I walked to my seat, which was beside Ino. Sasuke sat right behind me and his seatmate was Shikamaru. I took another glance of Sasuke and saw that he was massaging his temples with his hands.

I was getting more concerned and was going to ask him about it when Ino poked me on the shoulder and was giggling in a way that made me felt uncomfortable.

"What?" I glared at her and sighed. I knew what she was thinking of but I tried to pretend I didn't.

"We must talk during lunch." She whispered as softly as she could, not wanting to let Sasuke caught what she was saying.

All I did was rolling my eyes at the pig and tried to ignore her giggling and smirks.

After finishing our meals during lunch time, Ino was dragging me towards our usual spot in one of the gardens of our school. Tenten and Hinata followed us and I could see they had an idea on what was going on.

When Ino was certain we were the only ones there, she started interrogating me.

Yes, I called it an interrogation.

"Is there something new going on between you and Sasuke?"

"No." I answered with a poker face. I sat down on the grass and my other three friends did the same.

"You're lying! You guys walked to class together this morning." Ino was getting insistent but I was rather grateful she remembered to lower her voice. None of us wanted to let those fan girls to hear our conversation. They would cause a huge fuss and all four of us hated it when they did that.

"We just happened to meet each other in the hallway." I answered and didn't felt any guilt since it was the truth.

"Did your private tutorials turned into something more 'private'?" Ino asked with a perverted smirk which deserved a punch on her face.

"No." My tone was stern and I narrowed my eyes in frustration at Ino. "For the last time, there is nothing going on between us."

"Alright, we'll believe you for now I guess." Tenten said and I glared at her for using the words 'for now'.

"But you might want to be careful when you go to Sasuke's apartment, Sakura." Ino's playful expressions were gone and were replaced by more serious ones. "I overheard some girls talking about you in the bathroom this morning. They said someone saw you entering Sasuke's place."

"What?" I hissed. I had always been extra careful whenever I was near Sasuke's apartment. I was confident nobody saw me. I sighed loudly as I scolded myself for not being careful enough.

"Just be careful, Sakura." Hinata said and I could sense concern from her tone.

I managed to smile at my friends and thanked them for being concern.

"You must tell us if there is anything new between the two of you though." Ino said and my smile disappeared soon afterwards.

Ino would never give me peace and quiet when it was about relationships. I guessed I just had to get used to it.

When I dropped the topic, I lay down on the grass and took my phone out. Sasuke's tired face suddenly crossed my mind and I just had to ask if he was alright.

He looked more exhausted than usual after all.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

My appetite wasn't good and I was too tired to play basketball with my friends. I dragged myself back to the classroom, which was empty when I entered. I slowly walked towards my seat and rested my head on the desk.

My weekend was horrible and I barely took any breaks while I was working. Monday was actually my day off and my manager suggested I should just rest at home. But most of the classes on Monday were those subjects I had most difficulties in. I knew I had to come to school on Monday if I wanted my reviews to become more effective.

Sakura was a huge help and I was really grateful. I was slightly guilty to have made her the number one enemy of my fan girls this morning. But I was seriously too tired to handle those girls and Sakura was the only one who could give me peace and quiet.

That was quite ironic though since I had always been arguing with Sakura. Peace and quiet were not words used to describe our relationship.

But Sakura was different from most girls and I enjoyed being around her. I even find it fun to argue with her.

 _"_ _After all, the annoyed expression she has whenever we argued is amusing to me."_

I snapped out of my thoughts when I received a notification from my phone. I took my phone out from my pocket and realized it was a WhatsApp massage from Sakura.

* * *

Sakura: You look really worn out today. Are you okay?

Sasuke: I'm fine, just lacking sleep.

Sakura: I saw you massaging your temples. Are you having a headache?

Sasuke: Just a small headache. It'll probably be gone soon.

Sakura: You better rest after school then.

Sasuke: I can't rest. Can you help me with my review today? I won't have time tomorrow.

Sakura: You want to study even when you are not feeling well? Unbelievable!

Sasuke: I don't have much of a choice. My manager drove me to school this morning so I didn't bring my car. I'll follow your car later on. Is that alright?

Sakura: Your fan girls hate me to the core already. I don't think I care anymore if they saw you entering my car.

Sasuke: Alright then.

* * *

The rest of the day passed by rather quickly. Despite the throbbing feeling I had on my head, I tried to concentrate when Asuma-sensei was giving the Mathematics lecture. I also took down some notes when he mentioned about the midterm next week.

I felt quite proud to be able to finally understand a topic I was confused on even though I wasn't feeling too well. I looked at the guy beside me and sighed.

Shikamaru had been asleep throughout the whole Mathematics class, which was something he had always been doing. However, he would always get the highest score in all Mathematics exams or quizzes. It had always been that way since primary school.

I sometimes wondered what Shikamaru's brain was made of and I would be lying if I said I never wished I had brains like his.

When homeroom had ended, Sakura stood up from her seat and turned around to face me. She had an unusual look on her and I raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"You're looking worse than just now." Sakura said as she carried her backpack on her shoulder.

I had to admit I was feeling worse but I only had the strength to sigh softly as I got up from my seat. After bidding goodbye to Shikamaru and Ino, I walked through the hallways with Sakura.

I noticed the negative aura given off by the girls around us and I knew it was directed towards Sakura. I began feeling more guilty but I noticed that Sakura looked completely unfazed by her surroundings.

"I'm sorry for making you go through all this." I said and I realized that my voice sounded weak and definitely exhausted.

"Don't worry about those girls. I don't like them, anyway. You should be more concerned about your health." Sakura looked at me crossly as she led me towards her car.

When we were already inside Sakura's car, she let go of a sigh that she had been holding onto for some time.

"Those fan girls of yours are seriously crazy." She muttered and turned to face me. "I'm more concerned about you though."

Sakura placed a hand on my forehead and checked my temperature. She looked upset and concern was seen in her eyes.

"You have a slight fever. We better drop by at the convenience store and get you some medicines." Sakura didn't give me time to answer and had started to drive away.

My body felt heavy and I couldn't bring myself to talk much either. Sakura seemed to have noticed my discomfort and looked over at me with a worried expression.

She asked me to wait in the car when she had reached the closest convenience store from our school.

I felt touched when I saw her running into the store. I sensed her concern and it made me feel warm inside. I closed my eyes to rest as I waited for Sakura to come back.

I told myself that I should try my best to recover so that I wouldn't be troubling Sakura.

 _"_ _I should really do something for her for all she has been doing for me."_ I thought as I placed my arm over my eyes while waiting for Sakura to return.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

Instead of just buying medicines, I also bought some ingredients for dinner. I assumed Sasuke wouldn't have much of an appetite so I'll just cook something simple for him. He needed to eat before having his medicine, after all.

I wasn't exactly a great cook but I could come up with something simple.

And I was planning to kill Sasuke if he complained about my cooking. I was being very nice to even have thought of cooking dinner for him.

When I returned to the car, Sasuke placed his arm down from his eyes and looked at me putting the grocery bags on the back of the car.

"What's in the bags?" Sasuke asked in a fragile voice, which was something I had never heard of.

"Ingredients for dinner. I hope you don't mind if I use your kitchen." I answered Sasuke as I drove.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Sasuke sounded sleepy and I looked over at him to see if he was dozing off. Apparently, he wasn't falling asleep and was staring at the roads.

"You're obviously sick! I can't just leave you be. I'm a nice person, you know." I emphasized at the word 'nice' so the person beside me could hear it loud and clear.

It earned me a weak smirk from Sasuke and he muttered something under his breath. It was soft but I heard what he said.

"Thanks, Sakura."

Sasuke sounded really sincere and I didn't notice I was beginning to blush. As I felt heat radiating from my cheeks, I scolded myself mentally and forced myself to just focus on driving.

"You owe me." I tried to sound cool but I felt stupid instead.

I was glad Sasuke wasn't looking at my way so I was sure he didn't notice the red shades on my face.

"I will pay you back when I'm free." Sasuke said that with a serious tone, which actually surprised me. I didn't really mean it when I said he owed me.

But I was curious about what he would do to pay me back so I just kept it that way.

"I'm looking forward to it then." I answered with a soft smile on my face.

Once we arrived at Sasuke's apartment, I asked Sasuke to rest at the couch as I prepared the meal for him. It was still 4 PM and it was too early to call it dinner. But Sasuke needed to eat something first before taking his medicine.

After I was done cooking the porridge and omelet, I brought it to the living room where Sasuke was. He sat up on his couch when he heard me approaching and looked impressed at the meal I made for him.

"You're better than I thought." He commented as he took the spoon and fork from my hand.

"I'm glad you're not picky. Go ahead and eat. Then take your medicine afterwards." I said and sat beside him on the couch.

He thanked me before he started eating. I felt proud when I saw Sasuke's face lighting up when he tasted the food I made.

"These actually taste nice. I never expect you knew how to cook."

"Well, I try to learn as many things as I could. I'm not that great of a cook but I'm considered acceptable, I guess."

"You're definitely better than me when it comes to cooking."

"I think the two of us can agree with that statement without any argument."

I was relieved when I heard Sasuke laughed. It could only mean he was at least feeling slightly better.

I stood up to get his medicine when I saw that he was almost done eating. I went back to wash the dishes as he drank his medicine.

I knew Sasuke wanted to study that day so I chose to buy medicines which wouldn't make him drowsy. He definitely wouldn't want to end up falling asleep in the middle of revision.

When I returned to the living room from the kitchen, I saw that Sasuke had already taken out his textbooks.

I smiled at the sight and shook my head.

"I'm amazed at how determined you are in studying despite being sick."

I sat down beside Sasuke and took out my books from my backpack.

"I don't have any choice."

"Let's not waste any time then."

The two of us were mostly doing exercises that day and Sasuke was performing well even though he was still feeling ill. When I saw that it was already 8 PM, I went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner for Sasuke and myself.

I made fried rice and soup for ourselves and was hoping it wouldn't taste too bad. Sasuke was feeling much better that night and his appetite improved as well. He wasn't as pale as he was and he was no longer feeling weak.

After we finished eating dinner, Sasuke offered to help me wash the dishes. Since it was already past 9 PM when we were done with the dishes, Sasuke suggested we should stop the revision for the time being.

"You must be tired. We'll continue on Wednesday." Sasuke said and started fixing his books.

"Alright then. You should take your medicine again before going to bed. Stop studying and just sleep, okay?" I knew it was possible that Sasuke would continue studying even after I had left. What he needed at that moment was rest and sleeping was the wisest thing he could do.

"I'll rest after I showered." Sasuke assured me confidently as he placed his books back into his backpack.

I smiled at him and carried my backpack on my shoulders. Sasuke walked me to the door and opened it for me.

When I was leaving, Sasuke thanked me once again. He sounded sincere like earlier and I involuntarily blushed at the tone of his voice.

"You're welcome. Get well soon." I returned his smile with my own and turned to walk towards my car.

As I got further away from Sasuke's apartment and there was silence in the air, I noticed the unusual thumping of my heart.

I tried to ignore the increased pace of my beating heart and the heat on my cheeks.

Not surprisingly, I failed to do so.

I had to admit I was feeling something new for Sasuke. I was sure I was feeling something different and it was something I had never felt before.

 _"_ _It will definitely be the end of me if Ino found out after this."_

That thought stayed in my mind longer than I had wanted it to as I drove towards my home.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you liked chapter 2. Please leave a review and look forward for the next chapter! Thank you for reading!


	3. A Date?

Author's Note: I would like to thank my readers for their continuous support! Forgive me for the mistakes I made throughout the story, whether it was grammatical mistakes or OOCs (out of character). I will continue working hard to improve so please continue supporting this fanfic!

Chapter 3: A Date?

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

As expected, Sasuke didn't attend school on Tuesday. He told me that it was his last day filming the commercial he had been working on and it would end pretty late. I sighed as I thought of his state yesterday.

 _"_ _He is not even fully recovered and yet he is working so hard."_

I felt like I had been discovering different sides of Sasuke I had never noticed before. He was far more determined and responsible than I thought he was.

During lunch, I was sitting alone on one of the benches in the garden and decided to send a message to Sasuke on WhatsApp. Judging from my observations of him for the past days, I was sure he would continue working even though he was about to collapse.

And that thought made me more worried than I thought I would.

* * *

Sakura: How are you feeling today?

* * *

I didn't expect Sasuke to reply instantly since he was definitely busy. I closed my eyes and was feeling the soft breeze touching my skin when Ino suddenly appeared before me.

"What's in your mind?"

I was startled and jumped a little. Ino laughed at my reaction as she sat down next to me.

"So, what's on your mind?" Ino repeated her question after she calmed down from laughing so much.

"Nothing much." That was a lie, of course. I had been feeling worried since I left Sasuke's apartment yesterday. When I saw how weak he was, I couldn't stop myself from thinking that he might really faint during work. If only he wasn't so stubborn, he could have rested instead of studying yesterday.

"You're never good at lying, Sakura." Ino poked my cheek and was narrowing her eyes at me.

I was about to assure Ino I wasn't lying, which was in fact another lie, when a notification appeared in my phone.

I checked my phone and realized it was Sasuke. He had replied my message with a picture of his current workplace. Apparently, he was filming the commercial at an open field and I knew everyone was busy just by looking at the picture that was sent to me. There were cameras here and there and staffs looked like they were discussing important issues.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling when I read the caption he wrote along with the picture.

"I'm still alive."

My smile must have triggered Ino's curiosity because she tried to take a peek at my phone. I quickly put my phone back into my pocket and mentally reminded myself to reply Sasuke later.

"You're hiding something." Ino was eyeing suspiciously at me. Her narrowed eyes looked as if they could see through me and I instinctively looked away.

"I am not." I answered in what I assumed was a confident tone, which I knew was a huge failure.

Ino was silent as she continued glaring at me. I eventually gave in when Ino just wouldn't stop doing that. She knew how uncomfortable I felt whenever she looked at me that way.

"It's just Sasuke."

I looked away from Ino's eyes as I answered. I mentally scolded my stupidity for giving Ino the chance to tease me to infinite extends.

"I see. 'Just' Sasuke."

I rolled my eyes when I heard how Ino emphasized on the word 'just'. It was her way to force me to tell her more details. And no matter how much I hated to admit it, Ino had always been good when it came to forcing me to tell the truth.

"There's nothing between us, Ino."

"If that is true, why did you hide the truth from me in the first place?"

"It's because I don't want you to start teasing me."

"Why are you so afraid of me teasing you if there isn't anything between you and Sasuke? You know I wouldn't tease you if there is indeed nothing going on."

I let out a sigh in defeat because I really didn't know what to say. Knowing that I had run out of words to defend myself, Ino smirked and put her arms around my shoulder.

"You don't have to be shy, Sakura. You can tell me anything! I won't tell anyone."

Ino was known to be a blabbermouth but I knew I could trust her to keep her mouth shut regarding my private life.

"I honestly don't know what is going on, Ino."

And that was the truth. I must admit I was feeling something different for Sasuke but I wasn't sure what sort of feeling it was. The feeling was foreign and I had no idea on how to deal with it.

Ino must have noticed my confused state and I appreciated it when she chose to drop the topic for now. She stood up from the bench and had her hands on her hips as she spoke to me.

"Just go with the flow and you'll soon understand what is going on."

Ino had a warm smile on her face, which was something she rarely showed. She had always been playful and was barely serious most of the time. But whenever she took me seriously and listened to me, I couldn't help it but feel very touched.

I smiled back at her and thanked her before returning to the classroom together.

When we were already in the classroom, there was still time left before lessons would resume. I used the spare time to check my WhatsApp. I was quite surprised to see that Sasuke had sent another message.

* * *

Sasuke: You read my message and yet you didn't reply.

Sakura: Sorry, I was talking to Ino earlier. You seem to be working hard right now.

Sasuke: Kind of. I'm currently on my way back to my agency.

Sakura: Have you eaten?

Sasuke: A bit.

Sakura: You're still recovering! You should at least eat properly!

Sasuke: I didn't have time. And I'll be working on my album until late after this.

Sakura: You're unbelievable!

Sasuke: Got to go now. Bye.

* * *

I groaned in frustration as I placed my phone back into my pocket.

 _"_ _Looks like I have to pay that workaholic a visit."_

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I sighed as I left the room where I had spent several hours recording my new album. It was already 4 PM and saying that I was tired was an understatement. I needed some fresh air and decided to buy a drink from the lobby's vending machine.

When I reached the lobby, something pink caught my attention. I had to blink several times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"Sakura?"

It was indeed Sakura standing in front of the receptionist's desk. She turned around when I called out her name and I was still startled to see her there.

"What are you doing here?"

I walked over to her and realized she must have just got off from school. She was still wearing her school uniform and was carrying a plastic bag in her hand.

"When I heard you weren't eating right, I just had to come fix that. Or else my effort for taking care of you yesterday would be wasted."

I could sense that Sakura was trying to sound annoyed and stern, but the pink shade on her cheeks didn't help her achieve that. I smiled at her as I led her to the room I usually used during my breaks.

I ignored the receptionist's curious stares and walked away.

When we arrived inside the room, Sakura placed the plastic bag on the table and sat down on one of the chairs nearby.

"I've went through all the trouble to bring you food so you better eat."

I sat on the chair across Sakura and watched her taking out the contents of the bag. She had brought me spaghetti, a bottle of orange juice and a slice of my favourite red velvet cake.

At that moment, I was rather speechless. Sakura had been nice to me lately by agreeing to help me review and she even took care of me when I was feeling unwell. But going all the way to bringing food for me when I was working was something I really did not expect.

I was happy enough to have received a message from her earlier, asking about my wellbeing. And now I was beyond happy.

I knew I would appear ridiculous if I would be smiling to myself too much so I chose to restrain myself.

"Thanks a lot, Sakura."

It amused me to see Sakura tensing up when I thanked her before digging in. If she continued acting that way, I might start to think she had feelings for me.

It wasn't like I dislike the idea of her having feelings for me though.

Dismissing that thought for the time being, I started to think of how I should repay Sakura for all she had been doing for me.

"Are you free this Saturday?"

"I guess so. You want to review together on Saturday?"

"I was going to ask if you want to go out with me on Saturday."

When I saw Sakura's ears turning bright red, I had to quickly explain myself.

"It's to repay you for all the trouble I caused you. And it is a good idea to relax a little before the midterms start."

"I see." Sakura was still avoiding any eye contacts with me as she spoke. "You don't have work this weekend?"

"I'm done filming the commercial just now and I should be done with recording by this Friday. I'm free this weekend and the whole next week."

"That means you can attend the midterms without special arrangements then?"

"Fortunately, yes."

Silence was on the atmosphere afterwards and I stared at Sakura, who was still looking away. I was fully aware she had not given me an answer to my question earlier.

"Well?"

Sakura jumped a little in her seat and turned to look at me.

"What?"

I rolled my eyes at her and sighed. I felt a little bit embarrassed having to ask her once again.

"Do you want to go out with me on Saturday?"

I knew Sakura heard me clearly because her face was starting to blush and it was a rather interesting sight to witness. I waited patiently for her to answer me as I watched her ears burning up.

"Sure."

It was a soft answer but it was clear enough. I took the cold bottle of orange juice and placed it against Sakura's flushed face.

"What was that for?!" Sakura exclaimed at the sudden coldness on her burning skin and was giving me murderous glares.

"You looked like you need to cool down and I was just helping out." I smirked as I noticed Sakura's glares intensifying.

"Thank you." Sakura's signature sarcastic tone amused me more than usual.

With that, I regained most of the energy I would need to survive the rest of the day.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

Sasuke had just finished his food when there was a sudden knock on the door. When the door opened, I was rather surprised to see who it was.

"It's you, Nii-san."

It was no other than Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha. I had known him for a long time but we never exactly talked. He was a good looking guy but considerably intimidating.

He smiled at me when I greeted him and I couldn't help but thought of how handsome he was. He had that charming mature aura around him, after all.

"What a great timing, Sakura. I actually needed to talk to you about something."

Even Sasuke was surprised to have heard that from Itachi. I had no idea what Itachi needed from me since we never exactly interacted much.

"When I met Sasuke at school yesterday, I found out he wasn't feeling well. I asked him to go home and rest but he refused. When I called him last night to check on him, he told me you took care of him. My parents are very grateful and they want to thank you personally for the troubles Sasuke had been causing you."

I stood up from my seat and bowed politely, "It's alright! Helping out a friend in need is a natural thing to do, after all."

It was the first time I referred Sasuke as my friend and honestly it felt kind of unusual. Perhaps I was too used to seeing him as an enemy instead of a friend.

"But we would still want to thank you. It would be great if you could join us for dinner at our house on Friday. My parents would be happy if you could make it."

It had been a while since the last time I went to Sasuke's house. His parents were always very friendly and I would feel very welcomed. There was definitely no harm in joining them for dinner. It wasn't like I wasn't familiar with Sasuke's family too.

"I'll pick you up at your house after I'm done with my work here on Friday." Sasuke said that and I nodded in agreement.

"Alright."

Itachi smiled when I accepted the dinner invitation. He glanced over at Sasuke and looked at him with concern.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better." Sasuke answered as he tried to avoid Itachi's hand when he reached out to check his younger brother's temperature.

I found it rather adorable to see Sasuke being embarrassed when his brother was showing concern. I knew Sasuke would probably hate it if he found out what was on my mind. The word 'adorable' didn't exactly fit his image, after all.

"Glad you're feeling better. I'm just here to check on you. I need to get going now." Itachi turned to smile at me as he walked towards the door. "I'll see you on Friday, Sakura."

I bowed politely and bid goodbye to Itachi, who closed the door behind him when he left.

I slumped onto the chair when it was just Sasuke and I inside the room.

Even after knowing Itachi for a long time, I was never used to that scary aura of his. Perhaps it was because I never got to know him personally.

"Have anyone ever told you how intimidating your older brother looks?"

I muttered softly but Sasuke caught what I was saying.

"Our mother said that."

"Seriously?" I laughed and the earlier tension was soon forgotten. I stood up from my seat and decided to leave. It was getting late and Sasuke still had things to attend to.

"I'll get going now. Work hard but make sure not to push yourself too much."

"I'll try."

I sighed at Sasuke's reply, which clearly showed he had no intention to promise that he wouldn't push himself.

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon at my apartment?"

"Sure." I smiled and left the room.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

It was 5.30 PM on Friday and I sighed in relief when I was finally done with recording.

For the next few days, I wouldn't have to report to my agency and I could concentrate on reviewing for my midterms.

Also, I had more time to think of a plan for Saturday.

While I was on the road to fetch Sakura, I was thinking what I should refer Saturday as. I felt embarrassed whenever I thought of it as a date. I didn't call it a 'date' in front of Sakura because I was worried she wouldn't like the idea. I wanted to use Saturday as an opportunity to repay Sakura for all she had done for me. I wouldn't want her to reject me because I called it a 'date'.

Or perhaps, I was just using 'repaying' as an excuse to spend time with her. I groaned in frustration as thoughts came running around my mind as I drove.

I was distracted but at least I managed to arrive in front of Sakura's house. I gave her a call to notify her that I was already outside.

It didn't take a long time before she came out from her house, dressed in a casual dark blue dress. She was beautiful and I hated the fact that I had to concentrate to make sure I wasn't staring at her.

It wasn't attractive to be caught staring.

When Sakura entered the car, I decided to tease her as a way to cover up my real thoughts.

"You know, Sakura, before today I didn't know you are a girl."

"Oh wow, Sasuke. Thanks a lot. I'll take that as a compliment."

In the middle of the ride to my home, I realized that Sakura had something to say but was hesitant.

"You look like you have something to say." It was unusual for Sakura to not speak up her mind. I raised an eyebrow at her questioningly to urge her to talk.

"I was just wondering." She cleared her throat before continuing. "Where are we going tomorrow?"

I wasn't looking at Sakura but from the corner of my eye, I saw her ears burning up in embarrassment.

"Are you excited?"

"Shut up! I was just wondering."

"I'll tell you later." I spoke as if I had everything figured out, which was a huge lie.

I was still unsure as to where I should take Sakura tomorrow. I was planning to use tonight's free time to think of something.

For now, I was just hoping dinner would go smoothly.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

 _"_ _Why is he being so secretive about tomorrow?"_

That was on my mind as I followed Sasuke to his dining room.

I was definitely nervous and I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't even sure whether I should call our Saturday plan a 'date'. It would be awfully embarrassing if I would refer to it as a date and he didn't.

I would stick to calling it an 'appointment'. It sounded ridiculous but it was the safest way to put it.

We soon arrived at the spacious dining hall which was decorated luxuriously. I've been here many times but the beautiful chandelier on the ceiling never failed to amaze me.

Sasuke's father was sitting at the end of the table and he smiled at me when I entered the dining hall. He looked like he was about to speak but Sasuke's mother, who was sitting beside Itachi, rushed towards me. She held my hands in hers and looked into my eyes.

"I haven't seen you in so long, Sakura! You're getting prettier every time I see you!"

I wasn't sure whether I should feel comfortable or uncomfortable at the warm welcome I received.

"Mikoto, you're scaring her." Sasuke's father stood up and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.

He smiled apologetically at me and I concluded that was a good thing that Fugaku-san was always there to manage Mikoto-san's overexcitement.

I bowed politely at Fugaku-san, who had an aura similar to that of Itachi and Sasuke. I didn't know whether or not it was a good thing that none of the Uchiha brothers inherited their mother's personality.

I couldn't imagine either Sasuke or Itachi jumping up and down in excitement. The thought itself gave me shivers.

"Please take a seat."

I nodded in response and sat beside Sasuke. I greeted Itachi and he responded warmly. Sasuke's family was as friendly as usual, which was a good sign. It meant that things would most probably go smoothly.

The conversation was casual throughout dinner and it was just like old times. Sasuke's parents thanked me for taking care of Sasuke and also for helping him with his reviews. I assured them that it wasn't troublesome and they shouldn't worry too much about it.

I refused to admit I actually enjoyed reviewing together with Sasuke. It was something too embarrassing for me to voice out.

"I didn't know you can cook, Sakura." Mikoto-san sounded surprised when Sasuke mentioned that I cooked for him when he was feeling unwell. We were done with dinner at the time and were just chatting as we sat around the dining table.

"I've been learning how to cook. It's both interesting and useful, after all." I had always seen cooking as something fun so I asked my mother to teach me how to prepare some easy dishes. I was planning to learn more complicated dishes soon.

"If you don't mind, I can teach you some of my specialties too!"

My face lit up upon hearing Mikoto-san's offer to teach me. Mikoto-san's cooking skills were splendid and it would be great if she was willing to teach me.

"I would be more than happy to learn from you, Mikoto-san!" I couldn't contain my excitement and Sasuke's mother was happy to see I was eager to learn.

"It's like passing on secret family recipes to my daughter-in-law."

Mikoto-san said that casually but I was affected by her words greatly. I heard Sasuke choking on his drink and Itachi was smirking at his younger brother. I felt my face burning up and I was too speechless to react.

"Mikoto, you're giving them heart attacks." Fugaku-san was smiling as he said that to his wife. He looked amused as he glanced over at Sasuke, whose cheeks were slightly flushed. It wasn't obvious but his face definitely changed colours.

Mikoto-san was giggling as she looked at us and all I could do was looking away. I couldn't bring myself to look at her in the eyes.

At that moment, I was glad that Sasuke offered to drive me home since it was getting late.

I bowed politely at Sasuke's parents and Itachi after I stood up. Before I left, Mikoto-san made me promise her to visit her again soon so we could start our cooking lessons.

I smiled warmly at her as I made the promise.

Sasuke drove me home and I thought he would talk about our 'appointment' tomorrow. He was quiet during most of the ride though and for a second, I thought he might be regretting to have made the 'appointment' with me.

I was slightly disappointed when I realized we had reached my home and Sasuke had yet to speak anything about tomorrow.

I thanked Sasuke for driving me back and was about to leave the car when he suddenly spoke.

"I'll fetch you at 10 AM tomorrow."

I turned to him in surprise and I felt my heart thumping against my chest.

I nodded at him and couldn't stop myself from smiling. I dashed out from Sasuke's car with a deeply flushed face upon hearing his next words though.

"Don't be late for our date."

* * *

Author's Note: Please drop a review on your way out! It really helps me when readers share what they think of the fanfic. I hope you enjoyed reading chapter 3 and please look forward to chapter 4! Thank you for reading!


	4. Memorable Day

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for Sasuke's slight OOCness. I will try to avoid it as much as possible! I have been watching more Naruto episodes lately and hopefully I wouldn't make too much OOC problems. And thank you so much for the reviews and support! It's making me love writing this fanfic even more than I already did. So, here's chapter 4 for my awesome readers!

Chapter 4: Memorable Day

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I got up slightly earlier than planned on Saturday morning. And no, it wasn't because I was overexcited.

Alright, I must admit I was slightly excited and perhaps a little tiny bit nervous.

I'm about to go on a date with one of the most popular young celebrities in the country. The more I thought about it, the more I find it unbelievable. I wasn't actually thinking about it until last night.

When I got back, I watched TV for a while before going to bed. That was when I saw the commercial Sasuke had just finished recently. It was a splendid work and Sasuke was beyond gorgeous. It reminded me how talented and how extremely popular he was.

And I, Sakura Haruno, was going on a date with _the_ Sasuke Uchiha.

All this while, I had never seen Sasuke as a star. He was Sasuke, someone I had known for a long time. I had seen him as a classmate, an enemy and a friend, I guessed. Also, I believed I saw him as an eyesore more than I saw him as a celebrity.

It's amazing how I almost forgot he was someone famous.

When I saw it was almost 10 AM, I quickly get changed and head downstairs. I was wearing a light blue sundress and had my hair down. I applied light makeup and wore my favourite beige heels. It wasn't very tall so I still felt comfortable wearing them.

My parents weren't around and I wasn't sure where they went. I left them a message that I would be going out for the day before I left the house.

I picked up speed when I saw that Sasuke had already arrived. I opened the door and greeted him with the brightest smile I could pull off.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke groaned and narrowed his eyes at the name I called him. I knew exactly how he hated it when someone called him that way. It was one of the most efficient ways to annoy him with.

He drove away without giving me a coherent reply and that just made me chuckle.

"Say, Sasuke-kun." I ignored the glare Sasuke gave me when I repeated the much hated way of having his named called. "I thought of something last night. You're a popular star and all that. Wouldn't you attract a lot of attention? I wouldn't want to get caught in a sea of fan girls."

The thought of getting squeezed by a bunch of Sasuke's senseless fan girls gave me the shivers.

"First of all, stop calling me _that_. And I'm going to be in disguise." Sasuke didn't turn to look at me as he spoke and fixated his sight on the road in front.

"How good could your disguise be? Don't tell me…" When my voice trailed off, Sasuke glanced over at me and gave me a confused look.

"Are you going to wear green spandex as disguise?"

There was silence in the car for what felt like an eternity. Sasuke slowly turned his head towards me and gave me one of his signature death glares.

"Sakura, I will kill you."

I burst out laughing at the look on Sasuke's face. Even I felt very disturbed imagining Sasuke in one of Gai-sensei's famous green spandex. I wondered how badly affected Sasuke was for imagining himself in it.

"I'm just going to wear sunglasses and a cap."

I rolled my eyes at Sasuke's disguise plan. That sounded both mainstream and very boring.

"You'll probably still be recognized in those. Your whole self is very attention seeking."

"I can't believe that's coming from a girl with pink hair."

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I refused to listen to Sakura's suggestion of borrowing green spandex from Lee. The thought of me in one of those hideous things was going to give me nightmares for the rest of my life.

When we reached the restaurant I decided to take Sakura to, I reached for my bag and took out my disguise. Sakura was making a fuss about how it wouldn't work but I ignored her anyway.

Nobody was going to make me wear green spandex. Never in my life.

We left the car and walked towards the Japanese restaurant after I put on my sunglasses and cap. Sakura was still glaring at me as we walked but I didn't bother trying to assure her it was going to be alright.

Getting recognized while on disguise was something common. I learned to handle it by pretending to be someone else or simply ignoring anyone who was paying attention to me.

We went inside and were shown to a seat by the window. My family liked going to this restaurant a lot. We would come here once in a while when all four of us were free. The last time I came here with my family was at least three months ago.

We didn't take a long time to decide what to order. I wanted to say the orders quickly because the waitress had been staring at me for too long. I wouldn't want to be recognized in less than fifteen minutes since I entered the restaurant.

"Sasu-kun."

I glared intently at Sakura and narrowed my eyes dangerously. I couldn't believe she came up with a worse nickname.

"Quit calling me that."

"I can't call you by your name in public. It is dangerous." Sakura had been whispering since she entered the restaurant. She was more paranoid than I thought she was.

I rolled my eyes at her and chose to drop the argument, which gave Sakura the chance to continue speaking.

"I think the girls sitting beside us recognize you."

I carefully glanced at the girls sitting few tables from us. There were two of them and were whispering to each other. The look in their eyes told me they were beginning to recognize who I was.

"Just ignore them. If you pay attention to them, they'll suspect it more."

Sakura listened to me and stopped looking at them.

The food came soon after. Sakura couldn't stop commenting how good the sushi was.

"How do I not know of this place?" She muttered to herself as she ate her food.

When I noticed she had a grain of rice on her face, I reached out to wipe it off without thinking much. I was going back to my food but saw a blush appearing on Sakura's cheeks.

I smirked at her burning ears and spoke, "You blush easily, don't you?"

Sakura quickly looked away and focused back to the food in front of her. I chose to stop teasing just in case she would really explode in embarrassment.

That would bring too much attention to us, after all. And attention was the last thing we needed that day.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

We were back in Sasuke's car after we finished our lunch. I was pouting because he refused to tell me where he was taking me.

"Are you kidnapping me, Sasu-kun?"

The joy I felt whenever I managed to annoy Sasuke was indescribable. I felt victorious whenever I managed to snap a nerve in his head.

I groaned when Sasuke completely ignored me and I chose to just wait and see where we were going next.

I was very surprised when I saw a glimpse of where we were going.

"Are you serious?"

I couldn't believe it. We're at a carnival.

"You know, Sasuke. I would never imagine you as someone who likes carnivals. This is more surprising than you liking red velvet cakes."

"Well, I've never been to a carnival before."

"I see." I muttered to myself as I got off the car. Sasuke still had his almost useless disguise on which he refused to admit was rather pointless.

I followed Sasuke and ignored the stares from girls, just like what he was doing. I was relieved though because it seemed that they have yet to recognize who Sasuke really was.

I looked around the carnival and saw a lot of game stalls. There were a lot of dolls of various sizes and shapes as prizes. I also noticed a lot of couples being all lovey dovey.

A thought suddenly came to my mind and I wished it didn't surface in the first place.

 _"_ _I wonder if people around us think Sasuke and I are a couple?"_

I pinched myself to get rid of that thought and continued following Sasuke around the carnival.

"I'm wondering." I glance over at Sasuke when I heard him speaking. "Do you like dolls?"

"I guess so."

Sasuke didn't respond to my reply and just walked towards the nearest game stall. I wasn't sure what he was up to so I just walked towards the same direction.

He gave the stall tender some coins he bought in the cashier earlier. I noticed that it was a dart game and the target was quite far away from where Sasuke was. Sasuke was given five trials and I was thinking he might hit the bull's eye once or twice.

I was never so wrong.

The people around Sasuke were amazed that he managed to get all five darts to hit the bull's eye. I stood there, stunned at what I just witnessed.

"You must be joking me."

I was speechless as I watched the stall tender, who was apparently in shock too, hand over the biggest brown teddy bear to Sasuke. The doll was huge but seemed considerably easy to carry it.

Sasuke walked over to me and passed the doll into my hands. I blinked in confusion as I felt the softness of the teddy bear on my skin.

"A present." Sasuke said matter-of-factly with an expressionless face.

I stared at Sasuke as I took in the voices around me. Apparently, we had attracted more attention than we should and I just became the source of jealousy of girls around us.

"She's so lucky!"

"Oh my goodness, her boyfriend is so hot."

"That guy looks a lot like Sasuke Uchiha, don't you think?"

When I noticed that someone was starting to recognize Sasuke, I quickly grabbed his hand and walked away.

I let go of his hand when we were quite far from the earlier crowd. I glance over at Sasuke and narrowed my eyes.

"You shouldn't attract too much attention."

I refused to admit that he attracted those attentions because he looked absolutely cool earlier.

"Hn. I'll try to avoid attracting attention then."

I watched Sasuke walking over to another game stall. This time, it was a game where you throw rings to a bunch of bottles and you would win a prize if the ring fell onto one of the bottles. Sasuke gave the stall tender coins and was given ten rings. He turned to me and motioned me to go over.

"Do you want to give it a try?"

I gave Sasuke the doll and took five rings from him.

"It shouldn't be that difficult."

I muttered to myself and started throwing the rings. I felt so frustrated when none of them stayed on the bottle.

"What?!"

I turned to Sasuke and took the other five rings. I sensed my blood boiling when I failed once again.

"Want to give it a try again?" Sasuke asked and took out more coins from his pocket.

"I will not leave until I get something."

I refused to admit defeat and got hold of another ten rings. I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate properly, telling myself I shouldn't be hasty.

I was gritting my teeth when I was left with one more ring and I still had yet to get anything. I was glaring at the bottles in front of me as if I was trying to destroy them with my intense stare.

"Is that the best you can do?"

I snapped when I heard Sasuke said that and turned to glare at him. I narrowed my eyes at him and assured him that I would make it this time.

With another deep breath, I tried to calm myself down before throwing my last chance.

After the ring left my hand, I closed my eyes and didn't dare to look at the result. My eyes shot open after a few moments when I heard the stall tender ringing a bell.

"It's an in!"

"I did it! In your face, Sasuke!"

Sasuke smirked at me as I received my present. It was a medium sized beige colored teddy bear. It has a pink ribbon around the neck and it was simply adorable!

I held onto the teddy bear in admiration of my success. Then an idea suddenly popped up in my mind.

I had a grin on my face when I took the much bigger teddy bear from Sasuke's hands and replaced it with the one I just won.

Sasuke looked at the beige teddy bear in his hands with confusion.

"It's for you. You gave me one and I gave you too. We're even!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at me and I had a feeling what he was about to say.

"You're seriously giving me something so girly? It has a pink ribbon."

I laughed a little at the accuracy of my prediction. I knew he was going to say that.

"Come on, Sasu-kun. Don't be picky. Appreciate my effort! I worked so hard."

I pouted and gave him a sad puppy look. All Sasuke did was narrowing his eyes at me, which showed that he had a lot of complains in his head.

But all he did afterwards was giving off a soft sigh and started walking towards the direction of his car. He muttered softly under his breath but I heard his words clearly as we walked.

"Thanks then."

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

When we were on our way back to the car, I asked Sakura to hold onto the teddy bear she gave me. It was embarrassing to be seen holding onto a teddy bear with a pink ribbon. I felt eyes on me as I walked.

Well, there were always eyes on me wherever I walked but that wasn't the point.

Sakura refused to do as I say. She said that _Sasu-kun_ must hold onto his own present.

Why had I yet killed her for continuously calling me using that disgusting nickname? I couldn't believe my own tolerance.

It was almost 3 PM and I was wondering where we should go next. I tried coming up with as much ideas as possible last night but it was futile.

I wasn't very good at these kinds of stuffs.

I turned towards Sakura and asked for her opinion.

"Is there anywhere particular you want to go to?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking.

"There is a park nearby and I heard the cheery blossoms are really pretty right now. Why don't we go take a look? We're already here anyway."

I nodded and asked Sakura to show me the way.

I was pretty amazed as I set my eyes at the park Sakura suggested. It wasn't very crowded so the atmosphere was peaceful. There was a soft breeze in the air and it felt nice on my skin. The cherry blossoms, just like what Sakura said, were beautiful.

"Oh my goodness. People are not exaggerating when they said how pretty this place is."

Sakura ran towards a nearby cherry blossom tree and looked upwards. She had a gentle smile as she reached out towards a falling cherry blossom.

Unconsciously, I smiled as I watched Sakura getting absorbed by the beauty of the flowers around her.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Sakura calling for me.

"Hey! Come over here."

I followed Sakura, who was walking much faster than usual. She was definitely getting overexcited. It wasn't a bad thing though.

Sakura led me to a bridge that has a narrow river running under it. There were cherry blossom trees at the sides of the river and the bridge was covered by pink leaves.

I watched Sakura looking at the river under us. The water was flowing slowly and there would be pink leaves getting pushed by the gentle currents once in a while. The whole place was quiet and the sounds of the water hitting the shores were apparent.

I saw pink leaves getting blown by the soft winds in the air. They would fly aimlessly before falling to the river or to nearby grounds. Everything was so serene.

None of us spoke for a while. We just stood there admiring the sight around us.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I didn't know what made me bring Sasuke to this bridge. There was a popular legend behind the very bridge I was standing on with Sasuke. Many young people nowadays believed that if a couple were to stand there together, they would be together forever.

I felt ridiculous to make Sasuke come here with me. We weren't even a couple! And I doubt we would ever be. I was too annoying in his eyes.

 _"_ _I'm just showing him the great view. Yes, that is all."_ I told myself as I tried not to get too distracted by my own thoughts.

I saw a bench below a cherry blossom tree at the other side of the bridge and asked Sasuke if he wanted to take a seat.

"Want to sit over there?" I pointed towards the bench.

"Sure."

We talked about many things as we sat down. Once in a while we would end up arguing, just like old times. Some of our arguments got out of hand and ended up sounding like absolute nonsense.

But I guessed that was what made it so fun sometimes.

We weren't even sure how long we had stayed there and only realized it was getting late when the colour of the skies starting changing.

I checked the time and was very surprised.

"Unbelievable. It's already 5 PM. That's quick."

"What do you want for dinner later on?" Sasuke asked as he stood up from his seat to stretch his arms a little.

I thought for a while. We could always go to a restaurant but I wanted to do something different. After all, it wasn't every day I could go on dates with Sasuke.

I might not be able to do it ever again. That thought caused a certain pain in my heart but I chose to pretend I didn't feel it.

"Why don't we cook instead of going to a restaurant?" The idea suddenly appeared in my head and I was rather excited about it. "It could be fun!"

"That doesn't sound so bad. We could go back to my apartment."

I stood up and felt a burst of energy.

"Let's go buy some ingredients!"

We decided to cook curry for dinner and even bought a pancake mix for desserts. After gathering all the ingredients needed for the curry, we went to choose toppings for our pancakes. We bought whip cream, chocolate sauce and some fruits.

 _"_ _This is going to be so fun!"_

That thought repeated itself again and again after I entered Sasuke's apartment. The two of us headed towards the kitchen and got to work immediately.

Sasuke was in charge of chopping the vegetables and I prepared the other stuffs. I would scold Sasuke for his chopping skills once in a while and he would then reply me with a glare. The whole cooking process wasn't perfect but that was what made it enjoyable.

After we finished dinner, we made our pancakes and took out the toppings we bought. I commented on Sasuke putting on too much chocolate sauce on his pancake.

"You know, Sasuke. Your love for sweets could cause you diabetes one day."

He completely ignored me and it sort of pissed me of. I used my finger to scoop up some whip cream from my own pancake and wipe it on Sasuke's cheek.

I laughed at how ridiculous he looked but Sasuke didn't share my joy.

"You look great, Sasuke."

He suddenly had a suspicious smirk on his face and it startled me a little.

"I might make you lick the cream off my, Sakura."

I felt my ears burning and I wiped more cream on Sasuke's other cheek to cover up my embarrassment.

"As if I'll do that!"

Sasuke smirked once again before wiping away the cream with a tissue.

We spent the rest of the night talking about absolutely anything. It was amazing how we never ran out of things to say. Well, I did more of the talking but Sasuke was considered quite responsive. He was Sasuke Uchiha, after all. I didn't expect him to be talkative like Ino.

If Sasuke was a blabbermouth like Ino, that would be very creepy.

After we washed the dishes, Sasuke drove me home. It was already 9 PM and it was best if I would be on my way home. We decided that we were most probably ready for midterms already so we chose to not meet up to review on Sunday.

I felt a little bit disappointed that I wouldn't be meeting Sasuke on Sunday but I shrugged the feelings off since it made me feel stupid.

When we arrived in front of my house, I hugged the teddy bear Sasuke gave me and turned towards my date.

I gave a smile that was comparable with the one in the morning in terms of cheerfulness and thanked Sasuke for such a day well spent.

"Thanks a lot, Sasu-kun!"

Of course, how could I not call him by his favourite nickname to end such a wonderful date?

* * *

It was Monday, which was the first day of midterms. I wasn't feeling very nervous about it though. I had been reviewing a lot with Sasuke and it was very helpful. I learned more with him compared to when I was studying alone.

 _"_ _We should review together more often."_

I giggled at that thought as I opened the door to my classroom.

Sasuke was already inside and was resting his chin on his hand. I walked over to him and greeted energetically.

"Good morning!"

"Someone's in a good mood."

"Kind of." I answered and grinned at the expressionless Uchiha.

He smirked at me and decided to make a bet with me.

"Let's have a bet. The person with the lower rank must buy a meal to the one of higher rank."

I returned an evil smirk at Sasuke and sealed the deal with a handshake.

"Deal!"

* * *

We were allowed school at 12 PM after we were done with two subjects in a day. I was walking in the hallway alone as I was on my way to my locker when I heard a girl said something that I wished I didn't.

"Did you hear the rumors? Sasuke Uchiha is dating that popular actress, Ayumi Fukuda!"

And I hated myself for letting a tear fall from my eye.

* * *

Author's Note: Oh no, what is going on?! That's for you to find out in the next chapter! I promise I will update as soon as possible so please look forward to it! As usual, please leave a review as well. Tell me what you think of this story so far and feel free to drop some suggestions too. Thank you for reading and have a nice day!


	5. Misunderstanding

Author's Note: After seeing so many positive reviews and support from readers, I can't help it but write chapter 5 not long after I updated chapter 4. I hope you guys would like this chapter as well!

Chapter 5: Misunderstanding

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"Get a hold of yourself, Sakura. You have no rights to act this way."

That was right. I had no rights to be sad, mad or even be pissed off at all. Sasuke didn't belong to me. We weren't anything to begin with. We were just friends. He was just someone I enjoyed being with.

He was just someone I might be in love with.

I wiped away the tear I stupidly allowed to fall as I continued walking to my locker. I never felt so stupid in my whole entire life. I would hate myself even more if I allowed another tear to fall.

Why am I so mad anyway? Sasuke was a rising star, a famous celebrity. And he was dating an actress who was almost as popular as he was. And if I remembered correctly, she was from the same agency as him too. They were a perfect match. I am nothing compared to her.

I'm just a regular girl with a small circle of friends. The only thing that was special about me was my pink hair. And that was due to genetics and nothing to do with my skills or abilities.

I opened my locker with more force than necessary. I was angry at myself for acting like I did. I was so pissed off at myself. But why did I feel so sad at the same time?

The pain in my heart was almost unbearable. Before that day, I didn't know that the term 'heartbroken' could be literal.

When I closed my locker, I realized that the last person I wished to see was walking towards me.

 _"_ _Can this day get any worse?"_

I told myself I should act like usual. I shouldn't be angry because a friend of mine was happily dating a very amazing girl. That didn't make sense at all! It would be ridiculous if I acted that way. Sasuke might even start hating me. We might even end up not being able to be friends.

And I just couldn't imagine living life without him in it. Not after I realized how much he meant for me. Even though I might mean nothing to him, but I couldn't lie to myself and said he meant nothing as well.

"How did you do just now?"

I knew Sasuke was referring to the exams we did earlier. Judging from his confidence around him, he must have done well. That was expected from him though since he studied hard for it.

Then my mind started wandering to the times we reviewed together. I even enjoyed every moment we argued about the most unnecessary things. Even after I left Sasuke's apartment, I wouldn't be able to get rid of his pissed off face from my mind.

 _"_ _What have you gotten yourself into, Sakura?"_

"It was fine." I felt like a failure when I sounded so weak and couldn't even bring out a small smile.

Sasuke gave me an odd look, as if he was trying to analyze the expression I was making.

"You don't look so good. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I'm perfectly fine, I just felt like sleeping for the rest of the day.

Sasuke obviously didn't believe me. He reached out and placed a hand on my forehead.

"Are you sick? Are you feeling unwell or anything?"

 _"_ _I hate you. Why must you be so sweet and caring at a time like this? You're making things even more difficult."_

At that moment, I just felt like crying. I wanted to let go of the pain in my heart by bursting into tears. But I didn't want to appear weak in front of Sasuke. That was the last thing I want. I didn't want to let him see how pathetically sad I was because I wasn't the one he fell in love with.

I hereby concluded that I was seriously in love with Sasuke Uchiha and it might be the biggest mistake in my life.

I slapped away Sasuke's hand using more force than I wanted. I felt guilty for a moment but then I thought it would be easier to move on if Sasuke hated me. Then he wouldn't show his caring side to me ever again. I wouldn't be heads over heels in love with him again. I wouldn't need to be so unreasonably sad anymore too.

I tried to look normal but I couldn't so I chose to look away. All I wanted to do was run away as far as I could from the man who couldn't love me back. I didn't even look at Sasuke as I walked away.

"I need to go."

With that, I left school without even looking back once.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

 _"_ _What was that about?"_

I was surprised at Sakura's weird behavior and stared as she walked away. I had never felt so clueless in my life.

I wasn't sure if she was acting weird because of something I did or it was because of someone else. I wasn't even sure if she was mad or sad. I wasn't able to read her expressions. I never saw her looking like that.

But something was definitely wrong and I had a bad feeling about it.

Just then, my phone rang and my thoughts were disturbed. I looked at the screen of my phone and realized it was my manager, Orochimaru.

"What?"

"You know, Sasuke. I had always told you to be careful whenever you hook up with girls. You're famous so you should learn to be more cautious. There will always be people looking at you."

"What in the world are you talking about?" My manager could be ridiculous and weird sometimes but his words were absolute nonsense this time round.

"The news about you dating Ayumi Fukuda is spreading like wild fire since last night."

"What?" My voice was that of a clueless person who had no idea what was going on with his own life.

"A reporter saw her entering your apartment on Saturday and released an article about it on the night of Sunday. Sasuke, can you please be careful when you bring girls home next time? It doesn't hurt to be a little bit more secretive."

"Wait. That did not happen. I don't even talk to her! That news is full of bullshit."

"Well, the reporter took a picture of you bringing a girl into your apartment. It was for sure your apartment, it was definitely you in the picture and there was certainly a girl with you. You figure it out yourself. As for me, I will handle things regarding the news. I believe I can calm things down within today."

I didn't even bother replying and hung up my phone. My manager might be odd but he works excellently. I knew he could stop all those senseless rumors.

A reporter saw me bringing a girl into my apartment on Saturday and said it was Ayumi Fukuda. But the truth was, the girl who was with me was Sakura. How did that happen?

I leaned against the locker and started thinking harder. The last time I saw Ayumi was a week ago. She had just finished filming a drama and came back to the agency to meet up with the agency's director. I walked pass her in one of the hallways and we exchanged greetings. At that time, I noticed that she had just dyed her long hair pink.

Pink.

Oh my goodness, Ayumi had hair exactly like Sakura's. And the two of them had similar features as well. They were almost the same height and size. No wonder the reporter assumed it was Ayumi who was with me.

I sighed in frustration and ran my fingers through my hair. I hate to admit it but Orochimaru was right about being careful. I would get pissed off whenever Orochimaru found faults in me. It was annoying whenever that odd old man was right.

The only reason why I chose him as my manager was how effective and excellent he worked. I tried to turn a blind eye at the fact that he was a total weirdo.

I took my phone out again and gave Orochimaru a call. I spoke immediately after he picked up.

"The girl the reporter saw is my friend. Her hair and features are almost identical to Ayumi so it was understandable that the reporter made a mistake."

"That makes sense. Sasuke, next time when you bring your _friend_ back to your apartment, be more alert of your surroundings, alright? Don't be too distracted by your _friend's_ presence."

I hung up and groaned at my manager's words. The way he emphasized the word 'friend' was getting onto my nerves.

Now that the whole thing about the news was settled, there was still another unsolved mystery.

What was wrong with Sakura?

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I felt horrible.

I wanted to cry but my pride didn't let me. I wanted to sleep through the night but my pride didn't let me. I just wanted to curl up into a ball and be pathetic but my pride didn't let me.

It was all my stupid pride's fault.

I really needed to talk to someone. I knew there would be exams tomorrow but I was desperate.

I called Ino and told her I needed to meet her. When she heard my voice, she immediately knew something was wrong. I asked her to contact Tenten and Hinata as well.

"Do you want to meet up in Hinata's house? Her father is not home so it would be perfect."

It sounded like a great plan but Neji lives with Hinata as well. And I knew how close Sasuke and Neji were. Seeing him might remind me of Sasuke. But I couldn't think of a better meeting place.

"Sure. I'm so sorry, Ino. I know there's exam tomorrow but I don't know what to do."

"Oh, please, Sakura. A friend's wellbeing is so much more important than some exam! Plus, the exams tomorrow are the easiest. Even I don't have problems with it so I'm sure Tenten and Hinata are perfectly fine about this meeting. We care about you too much to ignore you over some easy exams."

Ino was a blabbermouth but hearing her sounding so sincere was honestly very touching. I thanked her and immediately went to take a shower before leaving for Hinata's house.

It was 2 PM when I was on my way to Hinata's house. I parked my car beside Ino's and walked into the huge Hyuuga household.

Hinata was waiting by the main door and looked at me with concern.

"You don't look so good."

I managed a small smile and I unsuccessfully assured Hinata I was alright.

Ino and Tenten were already there and definitely saw through my lie.

"Let's go to Hinata's room to talk."

For once, Ino wasn't her usual loud self and looked worried. I felt guilty to have made my friends worry over my problems. But I was depressed and didn't know what to do. I needed them and they assured me that they would be there for me.

When we walked pass the living room, I greeted quickly at Neji and didn't take a long time to look at his way. I had a feeling he must have noticed that something was wrong but I chose to leave it that way. I wasn't capable of pretending I was fine at that moment.

When we were already inside Hinata's room, I finally let my feelings out. I couldn't hold back anymore and broke down. I cried so much as I told my closest friends everything.

I told them how it all started with some handouts. I told them how much fun I had during the reviews with Sasuke. I even confessed that my date with him was probably one of the happiest days in my life.

And I admit how heartbroken I was when I found out he wouldn't love me back.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I had been lying down on my bed and staring at the ceiling for the past hour trying to figure out what was wrong with Sakura.

She was fine in the morning so it must be something which happened in school. But she was still talking like usual with her friends before she left to her locker. Then something definitely happened when she was on her way to her locker.

What could possibly happen in such a short time?

I had never felt so desperate and frustrated. I was dying to know what was wrong. I could just call Sakura and ask but judging from the way she acted earlier, it was clear that she wouldn't want to talk to me.

What in the world did I do?

I must be very desperate to have decided to ask help from my friends. I groaned as I reached for my phone at the night stand. I opened WhatsApp and made a group chat consisting of my some of my closest friends whom I think could help me with my current situation.

* * *

 _Sasuke Uchiha created a group "Help"_

 _Sasuke Uchiha added Neji Hyuuga_

 _Sasuke Uchiha added Shikamaru Nara_

 _Sasuke Uchiha added Kiba Inuzuka_

 _Sasuke Uchiha added Naruto Uzumaki_

Naruto: Sasuke-teme, are you kidnapped? Do you need us to save you?

Shikamaru: Don't be stupid, Naruto.

Sasuke: I need help with some girl problem.

Naruto: What girl problem do you have?! You're dating such a hot actress.

Sasuke: That news isn't accurate so ignore it.

Shikamaru: You must be so desperate to have sought help from us.

Kiba: What sort of girl problem are we talking about here?

Naruto: You didn't get a girl pregnant, did you?!

 _Sasuke Uchiha removed Naruto Uzumaki_

Sasuke: I was talking to Sakura after the last exam ended and she was acting weird. But I don't know what I have done. Judging from the look on her face, I am rather sure it was something to do with me.

Kiba: Girls can get angry at the smallest things. I once got my girlfriend pissed off because I didn't notice her new haircut. And all she did was cut a few centimeters of hair.

Shikamaru: Ino got annoyed at me for not noticing her new transparent nail polish.

Kiba: See, it's ridiculous! Anyway, I saw Naruto talking to Sakura after the last exam ended. Try asking him if she was acting strange.

 _Sasuke Uchiha added Naruto Uzumaki_

Naruto: Sasuke-teme! What was that for?!

Sasuke: Naruto, was Sakura acting weird when you spoke to her after the last exam ended?

Naruto: No, she was just like usual.

Neji: Sakura is actually in my house right now.

Shikamaru: What is she doing there?

Neji: She's in Hinata's room right now together with Ino and Tenten. I caught a glimpse of her earlier and it was obvious something was wrong.

Sasuke: So it definitely wasn't my imagination.

Naruto: Why don't we have Neji eavesdrop on their conversation?

Neji: I won't do something as low as that.

Shikamaru: Don't make things more troublesome, Neji.

Kiba: Just do it, Neji. I'm sure you could see how desperate Sasuke is right now. He actually asked help from Naruto!

Naruto: What does that suppose to mean?!

Sasuke: Please?

Naruto: Oh Kami-sama, Sasuke just used the word 'please'.

Kiba: I am sensing a high level of desperation.

Neji: Fine.

Naruto: By the way, did the reporter who made that article about you mistaken Sakura for Ayumi Fukuda? Since Ayumi just dyed her hair pink and the two would look very alike from the back.

Shikamaru: You're using your brains for once, Naruto.

Kiba: Does that mean Sasuke brought Sakura back to his apartment? Dude, you two are dating?!

Sasuke: No.

Naruto: Then what did you guys do inside the apartment?

Sasuke: Dinner.

Kiba: What did you do before dinner?

Sasuke: Went out.

Naruto: Was it a date?

Neji: I'm back.

Sasuke: What did you find out?

Naruto: Sasuke ignored the question!

Neji: Apparently, Sakura is depressed over the fact that you're dating that actress you were rumored with.

Naruto: Does that mean Sakura is in love with Sasuke-teme?

Shikamaru: Things will only make sense if that was the case.

Naruto: And does that mean Sasuke loves Sakura back as well?

 _Sasuke Uchiha left_

Naruto: Sasuke-teme!

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I felt so much better after letting everything out. And when my friends found out I haven't ate lunch, Hinata asked her maid to prepare something for me.

I was drinking a glass of fresh juice after I finished my meal. I was refreshed even though my eyes felt heavy after all the crying.

Ino came up with a theory to prove that Sasuke wasn't dating Ayumi. She said that the reporter who wrote the article saw Sasuke bringing Ayumi back to his apartment on the evening of Saturday. But we all knew it was actually Sakura. So that meant the reporter had mistaken Sakura for Ayumi because they had the same hair colour.

"But still, the article also said they are close for quite some time. Perhaps they are already dating for quite some time but had always been careful." I didn't even know why I had been trying to prove that Ino's theory was flawed.

"Wouldn't he tell you if he has a girlfriend?! You two are close to each other! And why would he bring you on a date if he has a girlfriend?!" Ino continued defending herself and I must admit she made more sense than usual.

"It was to pay me back for taking care of him and for helping him with reviews."

And I was just a stubborn idiot.

"Oh my goodness, why are some people so stupid and stubborn when they're in love?" Ino slumped onto the floor and sighed.

"Speak for yourself, Ino." Tenten laughed. "Remember that time when you kept on accusing Shikamaru of cheating on you with Temari?"

I laughed alongside Tenten and Hinata. I remembered as if it was just yesterday. Ino was crying and screaming at Shikamaru in the hallways, accusing him of having an affair with Temari. They weren't even dating yet that time but she still called it an 'affair'. Well, at least they got together afterwards.

"It was Shikamaru's fault! I saw him hugging her!"

"Ino. Shikamaru was shaking her hand to congratulate her for winning a tennis tournament." Tenten rolled her eyes as she said that.

"Well, they got too close to each other!" Ino continued being stubborn and I laughed. I must have looked like her right now.

"I think you shouldn't jump to conclusions, Sakura." Hinata held onto my hand as she spoke. "I believe that Sasuke has feelings for you too."

I smiled at Hinata but I didn't know whether I should take her words or not. I was scared that if I believed that Sasuke had feelings for me, I would be devastated when I found out he actually didn't have any.

I was beginning to feel sleepy after crying my eyes out and I was in desperate need of a rest. I stood up and told my friends I wanted to go home.

"I think you need to catch some sleep." Ino said and gave me another hug. She had been hugging me a lot that day and it actually felt nice.

"Thanks a lot, guys."

* * *

I was sighing a lot when I was driving home. My thoughts were running wild again but at least I wasn't as depressed as I was. Perhaps I had cried too much and my tear ducts were damaged. I felt really tired.

After I arrived at my house, I caught sight of the person who was the source of my turmoil.

"Sasuke."

My eyes were wide open when I saw Sasuke standing by the door of my house. He was leaning against the walls and turned to look at my way when he heard me.

He walked towards me with an unreadable expression and to be honest, I was starting to get nervous. I didn't know what to expect from him and my mind wasn't in the right state to think.

"I just want to clear up some misunderstanding. If you're upset about the rumor of me dating Ayumi, you should know it isn't true. The reporter had mistaken you for her when you went to my apartment on Saturday. She looked a lot like you, after all. I'm don't even talk to her, let alone date her."

I was surprised at how much Sasuke spoke at one go. Usually, he would find talking so much a pain in the ass.

I began wondering how he found out that I was upset about that. But I chose to leave it be. Sasuke was smart so he had his own ways. Something told me I wasn't imagining things when I felt like someone was outside Hinata's door and eavesdropping on us earlier.

I felt embarrassed to have gotten so upset over a misunderstanding. I officially became the biggest idiot I have ever met.

But I refused to let my embarrassment seen by Sasuke. I tried to look calm as I replied.

"I figured it was a misunderstanding." I'm a huge liar. "And there was no reason for me to get upset over it."

The look on Sasuke's face told me that he saw right through my lies but I tried to remain calm and confident. I had humiliated myself enough for the day.

Sasuke smirked at me and asked me something out of the blue.

"Do you hate me, Sakura?"

I blinked at Sasuke in confusion as I answered.

"No."

"Good."

With that, Sasuke knocked on the door of my house which was soon opened by the Haruno household's butler. Sasuke politely greeted him and asked where my parents were.

I was beyond confused as to why Sasuke wanted to see my parents. Sasuke didn't even bother to wait for me and walked into the house after the butler told him that my parents were in the living room.

"Wait, what are you doing, Sasuke?!"

Sasuke was acting unusually weird and I quickly followed him. When I reached the living room, I heard Sasuke said the most bizarre words I had ever heard him say.

"Kizashi-san, Mebuki-san, may I have your permission to date your daughter?"

And I had no words to describe how speechless I felt.

* * *

Author's Note: Finally! It's about time the two of them stop denying their feelings, right? I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I loved writing it! Please leave a review as well! Reading your reviews makes me extremely happy and it also motivates me to write too. Also, I want some opinions from my readers regarding something. I was wondering if you guys would want some mature content in this fanfic or not. It wouldn't be very graphic, of course. And the ratings will be changed accordingly, as well! Kindly share your opinion by dropping a review so I'll know what to do in later chapters. Thank you in advance and have a nice day!


	6. Confession

Author's Note: Believe me, your reviews made my day! I was very surprised to see _cherryblossomqueenSakura_ _'_ _s_ review only a few minutes after I uploaded chapter 5. Honestly, I was so touched! And I love how you're so supportive, _asma raya_! And _Oromisa's_ review made me beyond happy, thank you so much! I appreciate every single reviewers and followers and I'm going to continue updating as soon as possible for all of you. Here is chapter 6 for everyone!

P.S. This chapter will start before Sasuke asked Sakura's parents for permission. It would be in Sasuke's POV. I got this idea from _misssbehavin_ _'_ _s_ review so thank you!

Oh, and I definitely love Sasuke as well, _ILoveSxS_! (insert a fan girl grin). I totally agree with one of the _Guest_ reviewers that Sasuke is really cool for going straight to Sakura's parents for permission (inset another fan girl frin).

Chapter 6: Confession

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

All I wanted to do was to see Sakura. I just had to. It was no longer a want but it became a need.

When she walked away from me earlier, I felt a certain fear surfacing in myself. It wasn't like the fear you felt when a lion was chasing after you. It was the kind of fear you felt when you saw your world crushing down in front of you.

I didn't even know I was capable of experiencing that sort of feeling.

That just proved how much Sakura meant to me. When I saw her walking away from me, I thought she wasn't going to come back. And that thought itself pained me more than I could ever imagine.

The pain was so unbearable that I made a promise to myself. I wasn't planning on letting Sakura walk away from my life. Whether she would like the idea or not, I would make sure she stayed. I wasn't going to ever let her go. Not after had a glimpse of what it was like if she wasn't there.

I could no longer imagine what my life would be like without her without her in it.

I stood by the door of Sakura's house and waited for her to come back. I stared at the skies and wondered what was going on in her mind at that moment. If she became so upset over the rumor, it meant she definitely had feelings for me. If not, she wouldn't be so devastated.

As for me, I was sure my feelings for her were real.

Even the smallest things she did could trigger happiness in my heart. I would feel something inside when all she did was smile at me. It was a simple action, but it was enough to make me happy.

"Sasuke."

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't realize the sound of Sakura's car. I turned to her way and saw the surprised look on her face. She looked horrible. Her eyes were so swollen that it was obvious she had just cried her heart out. Her skin was paler than usual and she looked weak. It made me wanted to just go give her a hug and comfort her. All I wanted was to bring back her usual self.

I walked over to Sakura and began explaining everything. I didn't remember any other time in my life when I had talked so much and in such a fast pace. It was as if I was afraid Sakura would walk away again, not giving me a chance to clear up the misunderstanding.

"I just want to clear up some misunderstanding. If you're upset about the rumor of me dating Ayumi, you should know it isn't true. The reporter had mistaken you for her when you went to my apartment on Saturday. She looked a lot like you, after all. I'm don't even talk to her, let alone date her."

From the look on Sakura's face, I assumed she realized someone was eavesdropping on her conversation with her friends back in Hinata's house. She didn't voice it out though and left the topic be. I noticed the pale skin on her cheeks starting to turn red soon afterwards.

"I figured it was a misunderstanding. And there was no reason for me to get upset over it."

 _"_ _What a liar."_ The thought of Sakura realizing what an idiot she was to get upset over a misunderstanding was much too amusing to me.

And the fact that I fell in love with this idiot in front of me amused me even more.

I smirked at the embarrassed Sakura and asked her something that came out slightly different than I wanted. I guessed if I used the word 'love' instead, Sakura was going to faint from excessive embarrassment.

And yes, I got that idea from Hinata's constant fainting whenever she was near that dope.

"Do you hate me, Sakura?"

The confusion in Sakura's expression was apparent as she answered.

"No."

"Good."

I must have gone crazy to have come up with such a plan. I knocked on the door of the house which was opened by the butler. Now that the door was opened, there was no turning back. I greeted the butler and asked where Sakura's parents were.

I was glad they were home and walked towards the living room, where they were at that time. I heard Sakura's confused voice behind me but I didn't turn back. And I wasn't planning on turning back, after all.

Like I said, I wasn't planning to let Sakura go. I knew Sakura was her parents' precious daughter and I felt like I just had to do this. It was the right thing to do. I had decided to walk down the roads of my life with their daughter and I needed their permission.

"Kizashi-san, Mebuki-san, may I have your permission to date your daughter?"

I didn't feel any regrets for the words I had said.

I love Sakura and I wasn't going to let her walk away ever again.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

My mind was in a mess as I tried to comprehend the situation at hand.

Sasuke had just asked my parents' permission to date me.

 _"_ _What is going on?!"_

I tried to bring my voice out but to no avail. All I could do was stupidly staring at Sasuke, who looked as expressionless as ever. However, I could definitely sense a certain confidence radiating from him.

I realized how much I loved Sasuke and I am beyond happy if he felt the same. But right now, I was too worried about my parents' reaction. Things were going way too fast and I wasn't mentally prepared at all! And I was worried my parents would react in an unfavorable way.

It felt like an eternity worth of silence before my parents finally spoke. It was my father who broke the silence.

"This is quite sudden." His voice was that of a confused father who definitely didn't saw this coming his way. He then cleared his throat before standing up to face Sasuke.

From where I was, I could see the expressions my father was making. He looked like he was deep in thought and was staring at Sasuke intently. I felt myself unconsciously gulping in nervousness, not knowing what to expect from my own father.

I felt a part of my nervousness escaping my body when I saw a smile on my father's face. It was a soft smile and his intense eyes became warm instantly.

"Well, Sasuke. If you're sincere towards my precious daughter, I would be more than happy to give you permission."

My father then looked towards me with those warm eyes of his. It almost made me cry tears of joy. Just from the look on my father's face, I could feel his love for me. It was as if he was glad his daughter found someone who loved her unconditionally and he was ready to let his only daughter go. It was that kind of face parents made when they realized their children were growing up way too fast. They were worried but at the same time, they believed their children were capable of making their own decisions.

My father trusted me and he knew I could decide what was best for me. Despite feeling that my tear ducts were damaged from all my crying earlier, the love I felt from my father made my eyes watery.

My mother stood up from her seat and hold onto my father's arm. She had the same warmness as my father as she gave Sasuke her consent.

"As long as you promise you'll treat my daughter well, you have my permission as well."

My mother looked at me with pride in her eyes. She was definitely happy I had fallen in love with the right person. The look she had was that of a mother who was glad she had raised her daughter to be capable of making the right choices in her life.

I quickly wiped away the tears which were on the verge of falling. I didn't want to cry in front of my parents. I wanted to let them see how happy I was and a smile was what I wanted them to witness.

Sasuke bowed politely and thanked my parents for granting him the permission he needed.

"I promise I'll cherish Sakura."

With just five words coming from Sasuke, I felt happiness flowing through my whole body. I felt so loved by my parents and Sasuke that I wasn't sure how to describe how happy I was. Everything felt surreal that I was beginning to doubt it was all real.

Sasuke turned towards me and I knew in an instant I wasn't dreaming. He had a loving smile on his face, something I never thought he was capable of showing. I used every bit of my self control to prevent any tears from escaping my eyes as I stared back at Sasuke.

I looked away and gave a disinterested look instead.

"I didn't say I would date you."

From the looks my parents were making, I knew they realized I was just playing stubborn. It was way too obvious that I felt the same towards Sasuke. But I was too happy and didn't know how to react. Acting difficult was the easiest way to control my overexcitement.

I blushed deeper when I saw Sasuke smirking at me again. Same as my parents, he definitely saw through me as well.

"Do I have the honor to take you out on a date to talk about this matter?"

I saw my parents chuckling as I looked away again. Why was Sasuke so good at making me happy? There was a tingling excitement flowing throughout my whole body and it felt as if I couldn't control my own body any longer. I could hug Sasuke right there and then if I lost every fragment of my self control.

"Maybe." I answered softly. If I were to speak any louder, I might end up screaming in joy. And I wasn't going to let that happen.

"Go take that stubborn daughter of ours on a nice date so she could stop lying to herself." I felt my ears burning upon hearing my father saying that.

My parents were laughing heartily while I tried to glare at them fiercely. Sasuke's smirk was turning even smugger and I had a certain urge to punch him. But was I did was starting to walk towards the door.

I heard Sasuke thanking my parents again before bidding goodbye. We walked to Sasuke's car in silence but I could feel his confident aura even without looking at his way. He knew my answer already and it annoyed me how sure he was.

Was I that easy to read?

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I took Sakura to the park we went during our date on Saturday. My choice of destination surprised Sakura and as usual, it was entertaining to watch her make all sorts of readable expressions.

And yes, Sakura was very easy to read. Her feelings were always clearly written on her face.

Sakura followed me in silence, just waiting to see what would happen next. I saw her eyes widen when I brought her to where I wanted us to be.

"Why did you take me here to the bridge?"

I stood in the middle of the bridge and turned to look at Sakura, who was slowly walking towards me.

"Well, I can ask you the same thing. Why did you take me here to the bridge the last time we came to this park?"

I couldn't prevent a smirk from appearing when I saw Sakura blushing furiously. She looked like she could explode if I were to tease her more.

"You know the legend behind this bridge?" Sakura asked timidly and acted as if her deep secret was exposed.

"I heard about it from Naruto before."

"Why didn't you say anything the last time we came here?"

"You might have taken me here just to enjoy the view. It would be embarrassing if I misunderstood your intention. Oh, so the existence of that legend was the reason you took me here then?"

Sakura rushed over to me and punched me on the arms. It was her way of suppressing her overflowing embarrassment of getting seen through. I let her did it so she wouldn't really end up fainting.

"Don't be so full of yourself! I just wanted to show you the great view from here. That was all!" Sakura didn't even look at me as she denied the truth. It was amazing how she could stay so stubborn even though I saw through all her lies.

"I see." I reached out for her chin and pushed her face to face me. I took note of how flushed her face was from the contact and it amused me to no ends.

"As for me, I took you here because I want to be with you forever."

And I hoped my sincerity will reach her heart so she would drop her stubborn front and admit her true feelings.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

How was it possible for someone to make another person so unbelievably happy?

Sasuke was making me feel like the happiest person alive. I scolded myself for saying such exaggerated things. But I was truly happy that I couldn't even begin to explain how I felt.

How could I not wish to be with him forever?

"It's not polite to see through someone so easily." I felt something clogging in my throat as I spoke. It was that feeling you have when you were about to cry but was trying your best not to let your tears fall. And that was exactly how I was feeling at that moment.

I wanted to give Sasuke the brightest smile I could manage. I wanted to show him was fortunate I felt to have him loved me. I was starting to feel like I didn't deserve his love for me. I wasn't sure if I was capable of making him as happy as he made me.

My tears gave up trying to stay where they were supposed to be when Sasuke pulled me into his arms. He held me so tightly that it almost hurt. But I didn't mind and I didn't care. It felt as if he wasn't ever going to let me go and the pain I felt was nothing compared to the joy in my heart.

"Blame yourself to be so easy to read." Sasuke whispered softly into my ears. I didn't even care if he was trying to insult me. Having him so close to me made me felt so warm inside. Being able to feel him against my skin proved that he was indeed there. All these feelings he was pouring out was all real and I wasn't dreaming.

And my feelings were equally as real as Sasuke's.

"I love you, Sasuke." I tightened the grip around him as I finally stopped acting like a stubborn idiot. I wasn't going to let go of the man I loved with all my heart. I would never want to watch him leave my life and enter someone else's. Call me selfish for all I care, but at that moment, I swore I was going to keep Sasuke by my side till the very end.

"I know." Sasuke's voice was so annoyingly arrogant but loving at the same time. I couldn't stop feeling amazed at how unbelievable Sasuke was. How he was able to pull off that personality of his was beyond me.

Needless to say, I would still love him despite how bizarre he could be.

"Such arrogance." I managed to talk without having my soft sobs getting in the way. I was showing such a vulnerable side of me to Sasuke and I wasn't going to let my voice sound as weak.

Though I knew Sasuke would accept me even during my worst states. And that thought sent an unknown sensation throughout my whole body.

"I love you too, Sakura."

And that was the start of our love story. But I knew better than to expect things to go normally.

I was ready to overcome anything to keep this unconditional love of ours.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"I'm warning you, Sakura. I'm not going to let you go."

We didn't break the embrace and stayed there for some time. There was nobody else around. It was just the two of us in the midst of cherry blossom trees. However, even if we were in the middle of a crowd, at that moment, there was only Sakura in my world.

"I will say the same thing to you. I'm sorry to say that I'm keeping you with me for the rest of my life."

Sakura pulled herself away slightly, enough to look at me in the eyes. Her eyes were watery and her flushed cheeks were damp. But she managed a small frown as she spoke.

"So don't even think of leaving me for another girl. I'm going to kill you."

"That's not going to happen." I assured her and gave me a kiss on the forehead.

We spent the next few moments in each other's arms. Our foreheads were touching as she took in the feeling of each other's warmness on our skin. It was a comforting moment and I was very happy to know that I was going to feel this way more often from then on.

Suddenly, Sakura had a playful look on her face and I looked at her questioningly.

"I think I should pay a visit to your parents and ask for their permission as well."

I smirked at her and chuckled a little at Sakura's words.

"That is definitely unnecessary. My parents would be more than happy if they know we're dating."

"I can actually imagine how excited your mother would be."

"My mother might go overboard and make us get married."

"You don't want to marry me?" Sakura was frowning at me and her eyes were narrowed in an unhappy way. I ruffled her hair and replied.

"Getting married at the age of sixteen isn't exactly ideal."

Sakura laughed and broke the hug. She looked at me with a grin which made her look really beautiful.

"Let's go tell your parents about this."

I moved over to Sakura and held her hand. We took our time walking back to my car, holding each other's hand under the mesmerizing pink leaves. I couldn't ask for anything more if I could feel this way every day.

I looked at the skies and saw that the sun was beginning to set. The rays from the setting sun gave the whole park a different look. It was beautiful nonetheless.

But the girl beside me whose hand was in mine was more beautiful than everything around me.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I only started to feel nervous when I was already inside Sasuke's home.

 _"_ _What if Mikoto-san will really make us get married?"_

I would be more than happy to marry Sasuke. But like what he said, getting married at the age of sixteen wasn't ideal. There was still so much I have yet to do with my life. I wasn't ready for marriage and everything that went with it.

Like _stuffs_ you do when you were married. I wasn't ready at all. I felt myself blush at those inappropriate thoughts and quickly regained my composure.

I doubt Mikoto-san would be crazy enough to have us get married. Though judging from her usual self, we could never guess what was going on in her mind. I was seriously getting nervous and found it difficult to breathe normally.

Sasuke and I arrived at the garden and I felt my heart skipped a beat when my eyes saw Sasuke's parents. It didn't help at all that Itachi was also there. For a few moments, I was hoping I could dig a hole and hide there to calm myself down.

 _"_ _Come on, Sakura. If Sasuke could do it, so could you!"_

I pulled myself together and took a step forward to stand beside Sasuke. I held onto Sasuke's hand and gave him a confident look. He returned a small smile and then turned towards his parents.

"Father, mother."

Sasuke's parents looked towards our way when they heard Sasuke called out to them. I swore I saw Mikoto-san's eyes lighting up instantly when she noticed that we were holding hands.

"We just wanted to say that w-"

"Oh my goodness! Are you two finally dating? Oh, nothing could describe how excited I am!" Sasuke's mother wasn't even trying to contain her overflowing excitement as she rushed towards us. She took our hands and placed them in her own. Her eyes were filled with happiness as she stared into our eyes.

"I've been waiting for this day for so long!"

I was overwhelmed by Mikoto-san's enthusiasm and all I could manage was a weak smile. I didn't even know what to say. I felt like anything I could have said couldn't compare to her intensity.

"Mikoto, can you calm down?"

Once again, Fugaku-san came to the rescue to maintain the overenthusiastic Mikoto-san. I couldn't stop thanking him for having the ability to do that.

Sasuke's father walked over to us and gave us a smile. He was as calm as usual but there were more emotions behind his eyes. It calmed me down instead of sending shivers down my spine.

"I don't think there was anyone else I would like to be with my son other than you, Sakura. Please take care of him."

Fugaku-san's words were so sincere that they immediately sank into my heart. I didn't even know it was possible to feel happier than I already was. I smiled at Sasuke's father and did the same when I turned to look at Mikoto-san in the eyes.

She had calmed down and her earlier excitement was replaced by something warmer. Her gaze was soft and loving, which made me really warm inside.

I could see how much Sasuke's parents trusted me. I could sense how glad they were just by looking into their eyes. No words could be used to say how touched I was to be receiving so much faith from Fugaku-san and Mikoto-san, whom I had respected greatly for the longest of time.

Just when I thought I had reached the limit of how happy I could be, I saw Itachi walking towards me. Somehow, his usual intimating aura wasn't there and I didn't flinch when he spoke.

"I believe my brother would be happiest if he's with you."

It was just one sentence. It was just simple words. But the sincerity and love behind them were immense and I could feel them without even trying.

My uncontrollable feelings flowed through my body as I smiled at the loving people in front of me. I gave them a confident smile as I assured them that they wouldn't be disappointed.

I looked at Sasuke in the eyes and found myself falling in love all over again.

And I was ready to fall in love with Sasuke for another countless number of times.

* * *

Author's Note: Finally, they got together! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter so I really hope everyone enjoyed reading it as well. So, what will happen after they got together? That is for you to find out in later chapters so please look forward to them! And, as usual, please leave a review on your way out. Share your thoughts and feel free to drop suggestions as well. Also, like mentioned in the previous chapter, I want to know if my readers want me to add some M-rated content into this fanfic. It wouldn't be very graphic though. Please share your opinion by writing a review! I will really appreciate it if you will tell me what you think. Thank you for reading and see you in chapter 7!


	7. Warmth and Serenity

Author's Note: Reviews never fail to motivate me to write so here is chapter 7 for my dear readers! Also, I'm so sorry if I made mistakes throughout the fanfic. I promise I will try to make as little mistakes as possible. I will continue to try my best so it will be great if readers will stay until the end!

Chapter 7: Warmth and Serenity

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Have you settled everything?"

It was already Friday, which was the day that marked the end of midterms. Right after I finished the last exam, I went to make a call to my manager in one of the gardens.

For the past few days, I had been calling Orochimaru a lot to see how he was managing things. He was reliable but I was still worried. Scandals such as these could bring a whole lot of troubles to a celebrity's career.

I wasn't planning to have my career affected badly because of a misunderstanding.

Moreover, I couldn't risk having Sakura misunderstanding me for another time. Once was enough to trigger a heart attack.

"I had managed to stop the media from publishing more articles about it. But the problem lies on the fact that there are still people talking about it. We can't control humans now, can we?"

I grunted upon hearing Orochimaru's words. He was right about us being incapable of controlling what people wanted to say. All there was left for us to do was to wait for the news to die down. People would eventually get tired of talking about the same news, after all.

"A director offered a main male role for you in a TV drama with Ayumi Fukuda as the main female role. It is obvious that he wishes to make use of the scandal to get better ratings for his project."

"Reject the offer."

With that, I ended the call. Even if the TV drama would boost my popularity, I wasn't going to let myself get involved in anything that is connected to Ayumi Fukuda. The scandal had given me enough troubles.

For the past few days, I made sure Sakura wasn't around when I made calls to Orochimaru. I didn't want her to get upset over the matter.

"Sasuke."

I quickly put my phone back into my pocket when I heard a very familiar voice calling my name. I turned around, pretending that I had not been doing anything, and greeted Sakura.

"Have you been calling someone?" Sakura narrowed her eyes, which was filled with suspicion. I stayed calm to avoid being seen through.

"No."

"You're lying!" Sakura pointed at me accusingly and raised her voice in annoyance. "Were you calling another girlfriend of yours?"

"And that 'girlfriend' of mine is my manager." I regretted saying that because I nearly gagged at the thought of Orochimaru as my 'girlfriend'. It was beyond disgusting and I swore I wasn't going to imagined that ever again.

I could be scarred for life.

"Oh my goodness, my love rival is a creepy old man who acts like a pedophile."

I rolled my eyes at Sakura's words and swore once again to never make such a sick joke.

Sakura met Orochimaru yesterday when she was in my apartment reviewing for today's exams. Orochimaru came over to give me the script for an upcoming TV drama I would be working on soon. I introduced Sakura and Orochimaru to each other and let's just say Orochimaru didn't make a good impression.

He never made good impressions anyway.

"Anyway, are you free today?" Sakura asked and sat down on the bench behind us.

"I am. Why?"

"My parents asked me to bring you over for dinner at our home tonight."

I was reminded that I had not had dinner over at Sakura's place for a long time already. I used to go there with my parents sometimes but my showbiz career had made me too busy to do so.

"Sure. What time?"

"6 PM."

"Alright. I'm going to my agency to meet up with my manager now. I'll see you tonight."

Sakura stood up and I reached over her to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. I only did that because there was nobody around. We talked about it and decided that it was best if we kept our relationship a secret. If people around us were to find out, the news would spread out faster than we could control.

I didn't want to disturb Sakura's life so it was best if we kept a low profile. I told her it was fine if she wanted to tell her closest friends though. They were trustable, after all.

Sakura gave me a peck on the cheeks before we went separate ways.

I could get used to this.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

After Sasuke left, I went to a café near our school with Ino, Tenten and Hinata.

The three of us listened as Ino talked about the little 'review' she had with Shikamaru last night.

Apparently, Ino managed to persuade Shikamaru into helping her review for the Chemistry midterm today. But their planned review turn into a much heated make out session.

Not that Ino minded, of course. She constantly reminded us how it was much better than learning about a whole bunch of complicated chemical compounds.

"This reminds me of something." Ino was grinning evilly at me and I had an idea on what she was about to say. "What do you and Sasuke usually do during your _reviews_ , forehead?"

"We review." I answered matter-of-factly, ignoring both the way Ino emphasized the word 'review' and the curious looks I received from my three friends.

"Oh, really? The two of you are always alone in his apartment and nothing happened?" Ino continued pestering me to the point I had to sigh in frustration.

"Nothing, Ino. Nothing." I emphasized each word that came out from my mouth so Ino would get the idea that there was indeed nothing.

"You guys are so boring." Ino commented with a pout and I just rolled my eyes at her.

"So, how are things going between the two of you?" Tenten had a mischievous grin on her face which made me shift uncomfortably on my seat. When we met on Tuesday at school, I explained to them that the scandal was just a misunderstanding. I didn't get a chance to break the news about Sasuke and me dating though. Right after I finished talking about the misunderstanding, my friends had to leave to settle their respective businesses. And after that day, I spent most of my time reviewing and didn't even meet up much with the three of them.

"We're dating now."

Three pairs of wide opened eyes stared at me when I muttered those words softly. There was an unusual silence in the air which lasted longer than it should. It was times like these that I missed the talkative and loud Ino Yamanaka. Things were becoming slightly awkward.

"What?!" Ino broke the silence with a deafening scream. Hinata had to calm her down to prevent more attention coming our way. When Ino had calmed down a little, she spoke in a much lower voice.

"Since when?!"

"It started on Monday." I answered obediently under Ino's penetrating gaze. She wasn't planning to let me go that easily.

"Details, forehead. We want details right now."

Yes, she wasn't going to let me go until I told her every single thing she wanted to know.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, I finally finished telling them everything. Ino kept on forcing me to go into details and I couldn't stop the furious blush on my face. She made me recite every single word Sasuke and I said that day!

I had never felt so embarrassed in my whole entire life.

"How could you not tell us immediately?!" Ino was still upset that I didn't tell them right after what happened. I tried to explain myself but Ino said those were all pathetic excuses.

Maybe she was right. Honestly, I wasn't quite ready to tell them about it on Tuesday. Up until the time at the café, my face would still heat up whenever I thought of what happened on Monday.

"Sorry." I smiled apologetically at Ino, who was still fuming.

"I'll forgive you this time, forehead. But the next time something major happened, you better tell us right away!"

I nodded at Ino to assure her that I would do that. Tenten was giggling at how upset Ino was and Hinata was just smiling as she watched Ino pouting like a kid.

At that moment, I wondered how I would survive without these three with me. I just knew I could depend on them when I needed someone to talk to.

They were people I wouldn't be letting go as well.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

It was 4 PM when I left my agency. I still had plenty of time before going to Sakura's house for dinner.

Earlier at the agency, I happened to bump into Ayumi Fukuda in one of the hallways when I was on my way to meet my manager. I knew I had to apologize to her for the troubles the scandal had caused her. The scandal originated from me, after all, even if I didn't mean it to happen.

Fortunately, she wasn't that bad of a person and didn't blame me whatsoever. She said it happened all the time in showbiz and we should learn to be able to handle it when things like these occurred. I was told to me more careful though.

I also found out she rejected the offer to act on a TV drama alongside me. Guessed we had the same idea in mind.

Afterwards, I went to meet my manager to talk about the TV drama I would be playing in soon. It was my first TV drama but I was given one of the main roles. The director of that TV drama saw my latest commercial and immediately contacted Orochimaru regarding the offer.

Shooting will start in a week and I met up with my manager to discuss some details. The meeting lasted longer than I expected but at least I would be on time for the dinner.

I was at Sakura's house at 6 PM sharp. I wore something casual but presentable at the same time. I had to admit I was feeling slightly nervous. Sakura's family wasn't a stranger to me but it was the first time I was having dinner with them as Sakura's boyfriend.

It should be normal to feel slightly nervous, right?

A butler led me to the dining room where Sakura and her parents were. I knew how to get around the house but it was just formalities to have someone lead me there.

When I arrived at the dining room, Sakura was smiling gleefully at me. She stood up and pulled me to sit beside her.

I greeted politely at her parents before taking my seat next to Sakura. Her father was sitting on the edge of the long dining table while her mother sat opposite of Sakura. I suddenly realized that it was the first time I was having dinner over at Sakura's place without my parents with me.

" _Great job, Sasuke. You just made yourself more nervous."_

During dinner, Kizashi-san asked me about my showbiz career. I was flattered when I found out that he heard a lot about me and even saw my latest commercial. I was even more flattered when Sakura's parents complimented about my latest work.

"If you two compliment him too much, he will become more arrogant than he already is."

I glared at Sakura a little, not wanting her parents to see. Sakura stuck her tongue out, ignoring the slight irritation on my face.

"Ignore her, Sasuke. Your commercial came up in TV last night and Sakura was jumping around saying how cool you were."

"Mother!" Sakura suddenly raised her voice upon hearing her mother's words. There was an obvious blush on her face as she spoke. "You're not supposed to tell him that!"

Sakura's parents spent the next few moments laughing at Sakura's flushed face. I smirked at her and received a glare in return.

"So, have you been busy with work lately, Sasuke?" Kizashi-san asked as he was finishing his meal.

"I'm pretty much free these days. I will only start working next Friday."

"What will you be working on this time?" It was Mebuki-san's turn to ask.

"I'll be acting in a TV drama."

"Wow, that's great!" Mebuki-san's enthusiastic tone reminded me greatly of Sakura.

"You're bound to get even more famous from now on. You should work hard too, Sakura." There was a teasing aura coming from Sakura's father. I was sure he knew how competitive his daughter was.

"Just wait and see, one day I will be a doctor who is more famous than Sasuke Uchiha."

I found myself smiling at Sakura's words. Her tone was confident and there was determination behind what she had just said.

I had always admired her for being passionate about her dreams. It was one of her traits that attracted me to her.

It was very admirable, after all.

"I'm looking forward to that day, Sakura Haruno."

I would want to see where her dreams would bring her in the future.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

My parents left to watch a musical after dinner, leaving me at home with Sasuke. There wasn't anything interesting on TV so I suggested we could talk in my room. It felt uncomfortable having eyes on us once in a while from other people in the house. Being inside the room would allow me to breath at ease.

When I we were inside my room and I closed the door behind us, Sasuke suddenly said the most ridiculous thing I had ever hear him said.

"You know, Sakura. I didn't know you're so eager to step up on the base game."

It took me an awfully long time before I understood what Sasuke was talking about. I grabbed a nearby pillow and started hitting him on the face.

"You're a pervert, Sasuke!"

Sasuke wasn't affected by my hits at all and was slowly advancing towards me. I felt a chill down my spine when he wrapped his arm around my waist. His face was getting close to mine and I felt blood rushing to my face. My head was starting to spin and my mind was messed up.

When I found fragments of self control in me, I pushed Sasuke away by placing a hand on his face.

"I will kill you, Uchiha."

Sasuke smirked and I knew in an instant that he was enjoying seeing me all flushed like that. It annoyed me that I gave him an opportunity to tease me. All I could manage to do at that time was glaring intensely at Sasuke.

Sasuke let go of me and took the pillow away from my hand. I guessed he didn't want to be hit another time.

"There's a place I want to show you."

I blinked a few times at Sasuke before I spoke.

"Where?"

It wasn't really a good idea for Sasuke to be out in public. After his commercial was released, his popularity soared even higher. And after that rumor about him and Ayumi Fukuda, I was sure he had gotten even more attention towards him.

Sasuke had not spoken anything about the scandal. I knew he didn't want to talk to me about it because he was worried I might be upset. To be honest, I had overhead his conversation with that creepy manager of his earlier at school. I just pretended that I didn't. After all, I didn't want to cause more problems to Sasuke. Knowing that Sasuke didn't want me to be involved, it was best to pretend to be ignorant.

"You'll see. Do you have a guitar in your house?"

I was beyond confused as to why Sasuke asked for a guitar. But I just went with the flow and go fetch the guitar for him. There was a guitar in the storeroom. It seemed as good as new and was of high quality too. I heard from my mother that my father once wanted to learn how to play the guitar. He got the idea when he was watching a TV show and someone was playing a guitar. He found it cool and decided to give it a try.

He stopped trying when he realized he had zero talent.

After I got the guitar, I quickly changed from my house clothes into a casual sleeveless light blue dress and left the house with Sasuke.

The roads Sasuke took were foreign to me. Everything around me wasn't familiar and I was absolutely clueless as to where we were heading to.

"Uchiha, are you kidnapping me?"

"Yes, Haruno. I'm planning to sell you away."

Sasuke's voice was flat and somehow it annoyed me. I glared at him and continued trying to identify where I was.

When Sasuke suddenly stopped the car, I began to notice where I was.

"A beach?"

I got out from the car and the night breeze instantly touched my skin. The sound of the waves crashing onto the shores was soothing and almost sounded like music. There were tiny wooden shelters along the beach. There we at least ten of them there. Something similar to electric Christmas lights surrounds the pillars of the shelters, making it bright and beautiful.

"How do I not know this place?"

"You should get out more often."

I cursed at Sasuke for what he had said but followed him along towards the beach. I noticed he was holding onto the guitar I lend him.

There weren't many people at the beach since it was quite late already. All I saw was some people at the last shelter on the right. They were too far and I couldn't hear what they were saying.

Sasuke stepped onto the middle shelter and I did the same too. He was sitting on the edge of the shelter with the guitar on his lap as he watched the ocean.

As for me, it was ironic how I felt warm when in fact the ocean breeze was slightly chilly. Perhaps it was because of the beautiful view in front of me. The stars on the night sky were apparent and they looked like tiny diamonds shining brilliantly. It was the kind of view you didn't get to see often in the cities.

And being there with Sasuke made everything so much better.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I found this place when I was on my way back to my house from the agency. The wooden shelters caught my attention since it was very unique.

Ever since that day, I came here quite often. It was a great place to relax at night since there weren't many people most of the time. And sometimes, I have inspiration for new songs as I gaze at the view in front of me.

"Do you come here often, Sasuke?"

"Sometimes. I usually come here when I am trying to come up with new songs."

"I see. Is that why you brought a guitar along?"

"I am not going to come up with new songs right now. I just liked having a guitar with me whenever I come here."

"Will you write a song about me someday, Sasuke?"

I turned to look at Sakura questioningly. What did she mean by writing a song about her?

"What do you mean?"

"You know how some singers write lyrics about their girlfriend or boyfriend right? Like Taylor Swift! A lot of her songs are based on her own love stories!"

"You mean based on her break up? That sounds like a good idea. I'll write a song about you after we break up."

"What?!" Sakura violently placed a hand on my shoulder and stared at me in the eyes. "Don't you dare break up with me!"

"I'm joking." I didn't expect Sakura to be so agitated but it was rather an entertaining sight to behold. "Who knows, maybe I will write a song about you one day."

"You will?" Sakura was looking at me excitedly and I had a strong urge to annoy her.

"I will write about how loud and annoying you are."

And I earned myself a bunch on the arm.

"Do that and I will kill you, Uchiha."

Sakura was glaring at me and I let a soft chuckle escape from me. I positioned the guitar properly on my lap and started playing one of the songs from my latest album.

Judging from Sakura's face, she must have recognized the song. After I finished recording the album, I brought a copy back to apartment and Sakura made me play it. She insisted on playing the songs while we reviewed, much to my displeasure. It was sort of awkward hearing your own singing while studying. But I allowed her to do so anyway.

I felt Sakura putting her head on my shoulder as I continued playing. Throughout the whole song, she stayed quiet and just stared into the dark horizon. I would have never thought that there would come a day when I'm with Sakura in one of my favourite spots. Months ago, I wouldn't have imagined Sakura to be by my side as I played a song. It wouldn't even cross my mind that I would be singing as we both took in the beauty of the skies above us.

Life was indeed capable of bringing us the most unexpected things.

When I finished playing the song, Sakura suddenly got off from the shelter and took a few steps towards the beach. She turned around and gave me a playful grin. The moonlight shone on her face and it made her even more beautiful than she already was.

"Let's get closer to the water!"

Due to the lights from the shelter, the shore wasn't very dark and we could clearly see our surroundings. I placed the guitar carefully on the wooden floor and removed my shoes. Sakura had already taken her slippers off and was running towards the shore. I was glad that the beach was clean and the sands were soft, making it comfortable to walk around barefooted.

Sakura was standing close to the ocean, close enough to let the water soak her feet. She was blankly staring into the far end, almost as if she was stuck in a daydream. I splashed some water on her face to snap her out of her thoughts.

And making her pissed off at the same time, of course.

"What was that for, Uchiha?!"

"You were so engrossed by your own thoughts so I figured I should snap you out of it."

More irritation was surfacing on Sakura's face after I explained myself. She reached downwards and splashed water at me. It caused my face and part of my hair to be wet. The water was cold against my skin and the night breeze made me shiver a little.

Sakura was laughing at me as I frowned at the coldness I felt. I splashed more water on her when she had her guard down, causing her to squeal in surprise.

When she was wiping away the water from her face, I took the chance to hug her from behind.

I felt her jump in my embrace and I tightened my grip around her. I placed my head on top of hers and stared at the waves in front of us. We stayed quiet for the longest of time, just enjoying each other's warmth as we stared at the ocean and its gentle waves.

I would breathe in Sakura's scent from time to time or planting soft kisses on her head to tell myself that she was really there. I felt some sort of warmth inside me when Sakura relaxed onto my chest. An unspoken trust could be sensed and it made me beyond happy.

Words were no longer capable of describing the bliss I felt.

I released Sakura from my embrace and turned her around. There was love in her eyes as she stared deeply into mine. The smile on her face was soft but it held strong emotions with it. At that moment, all I wanted was to hold her close to me. I wanted to feel her in ways I never did.

I slowly brought my hand onto her cheek and caressed it gently. The feelings behind her eyes intensified and I acted according to what my heart wanted.

My face closed the gap between us and I placed a soft kiss on Sakura's lips. There were feelings that were impossible to be explained through words. Some of the emotions in our heart were meant to be shown through actions.

Love had brought out the most unusual feelings buried deep inside me. And I was more than willing to discover more these foreign sensations with Sakura.

I wouldn't be naïve and said this would be a flawless relationship. But for this unexplainable happiness, I was willing to go through any obstacles brought upon us.

For this love was too precious for me to let go.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope my dear readers are enjoying reading this fanfic so far! Reviews would be very much appreciated and suggestions are welcomed as well! So go ahead and share your opinions regarding this fanfic with me. Thank you for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter!


	8. An Unexpected Encounter

Author's Note: As usual, my dear readers' reviews and support didn't fail to motivate me to update as soon as possible. So, I hope everyone will like chapter 8 as well! (insert overexcited grin)

Chapter 8: An Unexpected Encounter

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Sakura, if you continue making all those fierce faces, it won't take long before you'll turn into an old lady."

Sakura had been upset ever since the result of our midterm was out. One didn't need to use much of their brain cells to figure out the reason behind it.

It was Friday morning, a week after I had dinner over at Sakura's house, when the results were posted on the bulletin board outside of our classroom. The final grade of each student from our batch was arranged from the highest to the lowest. It wasn't a surprise to see that Shikamaru was ranked first. However, I must admit that I was slightly upset to see that I had allowed Neji to snatch my second place. Neji was usually in third while I would be in the second place.

But my frustration towards that couldn't beat the joy I felt when I found out that I managed to score higher than Sakura.

Sakura, on the other hand, didn't seem very pleased for certain obvious reasons. Not only did she score lower than the three people she had referred as her rivals when academics were concerned, she had lost the bet I made with her.

She had been sending deadly glares towards me since morning. Interacting with an overly pissed off Sakura was a suicidal idea. I knew how severe the consequences could be if I were to press the wrong button.

It was after classes ended that day when I finally decided to make a comment about the menacing aura she had been releasing. And needless to say, I had definitely pressed the wrong button.

"Shut up, Uchiha."

Despite knowing that I had made Sakura more annoyed than she already was, I continued to deliberately press the wrong button again and again. It was a habit of mine to annoy Sakura and an old habit wasn't easy to kick.

Though I didn't have any plans to kick this habit of mine.

"Be sportive and admit defeat, Haruno."

"I don't need you to tell me that." Sakura slammed her locker door on my face and walked away. As for me, I continued being the parasite I am and followed her to wherever she was going.

"You're not cute when you're looking so angry."

"I don't care. And why are you following me anyway?"

"No reasons in particular. Just want to spend time with you before I start becoming busier with the TV drama."

My words stopped Sakura in her tracks and I was beginning to wonder if I had officially made her gone mad from anger. Though I was confident my last respond to her wasn't supposed to piss her off.

She slowly turned to look at me and I noticed her expressions had softened. There was still frustration behind her eyes but at least she wasn't glaring at me as if she was trying to blast my head with it.

"You're going to start filming your TV drama today?"

"Hn. I'm heading over to the filming site after this."

There was a silence for a few moments and Sakura was just looking straight into my eyes. She was slightly pouting and I sensed a hint of sadness from her as I stared back into her green eyes.

"So, you'll probably be very busy from today onwards."

"Most likely."

"Do you have time for dinner tonight?"

"I would most probably have time for a late dinner instead."

"I'll go pick you up after you're done filming then. I'm taking you out for a late dinner."

"Annoying you had earned me a date? I should annoy you more often."

"No, you idiot. It is for losing that bet you made with me."

I smirked at Sakura as she continued frowning at me. It was admirable that she had keep her word even though she was pissed off to great extends.

"I'll send you tonight's last filming site's address then. I'll see you at 9 PM."

With that I walked pass Sakura and head towards the parking lot. Before I was completely out of her sight, I turned around and gave myself another chance to annoy her.

"You look better when you're not sulking."

However, the slight blush on her face showed that I had failed to annoy her. Instead, I must have unintentionally cheered her up a little.

Not that I minded that, of course.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

" _That idiot Uchiha is so annoying."_

I was lying down on my bed and was browsing my phone, trying to distract myself from Sasuke. He had been on my mind for hours since we parted ways at school and it was getting onto my nerves.

It wasn't that I hated having him in my mind but it made me miss him.

" _Great, Sakura. You didn't meet him for a few hours and you're missing him already. You're doing yourself a big favor indeed."_

It kind of upset me that I would be seeing less of Sasuke from Friday onwards. Playing one of the main roles in the TV drama meant that he would be very busy. He might have to work almost every day.

But I knew better than to show him that I was upset. As his girlfriend, I should be supportive instead! I would do what I could to support him.

Although I was still slightly annoyed that he got a higher grade than me for the midterm even though I was the one helping him with his reviews, I couldn't deny the fact that I would be missing him a lot from that day on.

I got off from my bed when I realized it was already almost 8 PM. I was planning to go to the filming site earlier to watch Sasuke. I never watched him work and was curious about it. So I quickly changed into a casual beige dress and head towards my car.

Sasuke's last filming site was an outdoor park which was an almost 30 minute ride from my house. I parked my car a considerable distance from the filming site but I could clearly see the big crowd. And it was obvious that most of them were fans. To be more exact, they were Sasuke Uchiha's fans.

My prediction was proved to be right when I got closer to the filming site and heard the fans talking about Sasuke. They couldn't stop complimenting both his looks and also his acting skills.

When I saw Sasuke working for myself, I couldn't help but agree with what the other girls were saying.

He looked dashing in the black suit he was wearing and his acting skills were better than I had expected. I was totally captivated by Sasuke and I couldn't get my eyes of him. He flawlessly acted each scene without having to retake any of them. I even heard the director complimenting at Sasuke after each scene ended. That just proved how good he was.

"Sasuke-kun is such a good actor! I'm sure he will be getting more acting offers after this."

I turned over to a group of girls beside me who was talking about what was on my mind. Another girl was giggling as she agreed with her friend. But her smile soon disappeared from her face when she returned her attention to Sasuke.

"It's so annoying that Sasuke and his female co-star seem to have great chemistry between them. They look so annoyingly good together!"

"I know right. Now that the rumor about Sasuke and Ayumi Fukuda had died down, it is upsetting to know that his co-star might be the next person he would have a scandal with."

"Come on, guys. Why are you talking as if Sasuke will hook up with all the female celebrities around him?"

"That won't be surprising though. He is so hot and talented! A lot of girls are dying to be with him!"

The conversation which was going on beside me was disturbing me more than I wanted it to. I knew I shouldn't be too bothered by their words but I couldn't stop myself from feeling upset. Perhaps I was feeling that way because I knew that Sasuke's fans were making some sense.

Sasuke was constantly surrounded by gorgeous and talented women and that fact was enough to trigger a very unnecessary frustration inside me.

" _Get a hold of yourself, Sakura. You should trust, Sasuke. Don't end up as a pain in the ass for your own boyfriend."_

I was snapped out of my thoughts when someone suddenly bumped into me. I winced in pain and turn towards the person who ran into me. When I caught sight of the person, I was surprised at how he looked a lot like Sasuke.

His hair was darker than Sasuke's and his skin was much paler though. But still, the resemblance was definitely there and I couldn't unseen it.

He looked at me with an expressionless face and he became even more like Sasuke's doppelganger by the second.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't looking at my way."

It was then when I realized he was holding onto a book which I assumed was a script. And judging from what he was wearing, he was definitely neither a fan nor a staff. The suit he was wearing showed that he was most probably one of the actors.

"It's alright."

He went back to concentrate on his script after giving me a small smile. I had to admit he was rather good looking if he had some expressions on his face.

I was going to go back to watching Sasuke but I noticed the odd look Sasuke's doppelganger was making as he focused on the script on his hand. Out of concern, I asked if he was having a problem.

"Is something wrong?"

He seemed startled at my voice and looked up at me. He took a few moments to stare at me before speaking.

"There are some words in the script I don't understand."

"Let me see. Maybe I can help."

There was another silence between us. He seemed to be checking me out and it was making me uncomfortable.

" _Why is he looking at me like I'm some sort of weird specie?"_

His next words totally snapped a nerve in my head though.

"You don't look very smart."

I immediately snatched the script out of his hand and glared at him. I had never met someone as rude as him and I wasn't going to leave until I prove him wrong.

"Oh really?! I'll prove how wrong you are! Show me what you don't understand."

It was beyond annoying to see him looking so expressionless even though I was glaring intensely at him. If I could make a huge hole on that face of his with my glares, I would be more than willing to do so.

Without putting up a fight, he pointed out the words he didn't understand. To be fair, they were rather complicated words but fortunately for me, I understood all of them. I explained all the words to the rude guy in front of me as clearly as I could.

I felt proud when I saw his eyes widened in surprise after I finished explaining all the terms he didn't understand. I gave him a confident smirk and I somehow felt like Sasuke when I did that.

"You're smarter than you look."

I took that as a compliment rather than an insult since I was still in quite a good mood after I proved my intelligence to that rude stranger. I gave him back the script and his earlier troubled look wasn't there anymore.

He smiled at me as he thanked me and I hate to admit he was a rather charming person. He had to work on that attitude of his though.

He was walking towards the filming site when he suddenly turned to look at me. His earlier expressionless face returned as he spoke.

"My name is Sai, by the way. Thanks again for your help, fierce girl with weird pink hair."

I felt myself trembling in anger as I stared at the rudest person I had ever encountered in my entire life. It annoyed me even more when I heard some girls around me saying how good looking he was. In my eyes, his attitude had blinded me from his handsome features.

I definitely wasn't looking forward to ever meeting that person again.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

After I finished filming one of the last scenes for the night, I noticed Sakura standing behind the crowd. It wasn't difficult to find a girl with pink hair, after all.

I was waiting for her to look at my way but I noticed that she was talking to someone else. And it annoyed me when I saw who it was.

I was too far to listen to their conversation but the person talking to Sakura was definitely Sai. He was pretty new in showbiz but had been doing great lately. He started his career by taking up small roles in TV dramas but it didn't take very long before he received more important roles.

I never interacted with him before taking up the offer to act in this TV drama. I didn't expect to be working with him at first. This TV drama's genre was romance and Sai was acting as my love rival. I had no problems with his acting skills but there was something unexplainable about him that annoyed me.

Perhaps it was because people were saying how the two of us looked alike and were starting to compare us a lot. I usually didn't care about such useless things but sometimes it just got onto my nerves, especially when I heard people saying that he might one day surpass me.

As if I would let that happen.

Moreover, seeing him talking to Sakura had triggered even more annoyance towards him.

When I saw him walking away from Sakura, I tried not to show that I had been staring at them. I didn't stop myself from glaring at him when he walked pass me though. And I didn't care when I saw him noticing the annoyed look on my face.

As usual, he walked pass me with a disinterested look, which was something he had been doing since we started working on this TV drama. And it had been annoying me to unbelievable extends. But I knew better than to make a big fuss out of it.

When the last scene of the night was finished, I glanced over at Sakura's direction and saw her smiling at me. I didn't return the smile though since someone might notice it and might even make a big deal out of it. The last thing I needed was another scandal which might disturb Sakura's life more than the previous one.

I took my phone out from my pocket and sent Sakura a message. The filming site was more crowded than I had expected and it wasn't a wise idea to be seen leaving in Sakura's car.

* * *

Sasuke: Meet me the Japanese restaurant near our school. It's too crowded here and it's not a good idea to be seen leaving together.

* * *

After the message was sent, I went to change out of my clothes. It was my manager who fetched me at school earlier so I didn't drive my own car. I asked him to drive me to where I was meeting up with Sakura.

We managed to avoid the huge crowd of fans who stayed back even though we were done filming for the night. If I were to be stuck among them, it might take forever to escape. And all I wanted to do after hours of filming was spending time with Sakura.

I was about to leave the car when we arrived at the restaurant I told Sakura to go to when my manager suddenly spoke.

"I'm warning you, Sasuke. Be careful and don't get involved in another scandal. The last one wasn't so easy to settle."

"I know." And with that, I closed the car's door before Orochimaru would nag again.

I had a cap on as I walked into the restaurant. I was wearing casual clothes so that I wouldn't attract too much attention. I didn't bother putting on my sunglasses because I didn't want to appear like a freak. Nothing good would be said about a person who wore sunglasses in the middle of the night.

Anyway, there weren't a lot of people in the restaurant so I assumed I could relax a bit.

I spot Sakura in one of the booths at the back of the restaurant and walked towards her. She had a smile on her face when she noticed that I had arrived.

"Someone didn't have his sunglasses on."

"I don't want people to recognize me but doesn't mean I want to look like a freak."

Sakura was chuckling at my respond and raised her hand to get the attention of a nearby waiter. We had been to this restaurant several times already so we didn't need to look at the menu to decide on what to order. When the waiter left us, Sakura placed her chin on her hand as she spoke.

"So why did you choose to have dinner hear and not somewhere near the filming site?"

"Fans might go around the area to see if they could find me. It's a better idea to go somewhere further away."

"That makes sense. You did great, by the way! I wouldn't have thought it was the first time you acted if you had not told me."

"I'm flattered to be complimented by Sakura Haruno."

"You better be." Sakura's soft giggles effortlessly made my exhaustion leave my body. She was definitely what I needed after a long day at work.

When the waiter came back with our orders, Sai suddenly came across my mind. I small frown surfaced but I tried to stay expressionless as I asked Sakura about her earlier encounter with Sai.

"I saw you talking to one of the actors back at the filming site. What did you two talk about?"

Sakura looked confused for a moment and seemed to be deep in thought. Her eyes were wide opened when she figured out who I was referring to.

"You mean that rude guy who kind of looks like you?"

I didn't even bother to stop my frown from becoming visible at Sakura's words. Hearing Sakura saying that I looked like Sai was more upsetting than I thought.

Sakura must have noticed how unhappy I appeared and tried to comfort me.

"He may sort of looks like you but you're infinity times better looking. Plus, he needs to work on his attitude!"

Sakura often told me that I need to fix my attitude but it seemed like she had found someone with a worse personality than me. I began wondering what Sai had done to have made such a bad first impression.

"Did Sai do something to upset you?"

Sakura reacted at me mentioning his name so I assumed Sai had introduced himself.

"He looked troubled when he was looking at his script so I was kind enough to offer some help. And instead of being grateful, he said that I didn't look very smart. I was so pissed off and it didn't take much effort for me to prove him wrong. He did thank me for helping him out. But do you know what he said before he went back to the filming site? He called me a fierce girl with weird pink hair! I had never met such a rude person before!"

It was amazing how Sakura could talk with such anger while keeping her voice down. At least she had some sanity left in her mind to make sure she wasn't attracting attention towards us. She looked annoyed as she ate with more force than necessary. Somehow, I could imagine the look on Sakura's face back when Sai was insulting her. And unfortunately, I couldn't stop myself from smirking at the thought.

"Are you trying to make fun of me, Sasuke?!"

"No." I reached over to Sakura's face and removed a small piece of seaweed from the side of her mouth. Even though her anger was still apparent, my small gesture made her blush a little. "Just ignore that person. Don't let him ruin your mood."

Sakura managed to calm down afterwards and was eating in a much more gentle way. She must have noticed that she was almost acting like a barbarian earlier and was becoming flushed due to embarrassment.

"Who is that guy anyway?"

"You don't recognize him? He's considered to be rather new in showbiz but he had been getting more popular lately. He's a young actor but had been offered quite a number of offers to play as major roles in TV dramas. He's of the same age as us."

Sai might have an attitude problem but his acting skill was unquestionable. I hated to admit it but when it came to acting, I had to work harder if I didn't want to lose to him.

"I don't really watch a lot of TV drama most of the time so I don't know him. But I'll definitely watch yours!"

Sakura was grinning happily at me and I ruffled her hair playfully. Having Sakura around for support was more than enough to keep me motivated.

"Just wait and see. I'll definitely perform better than Sai."

"Are the two of you rivals or something?"

"Not really. But we're not exactly friends either."

"I'm sure you'll beat the crap out of him! Show that rude guy who's the boss!"

Sakura appeared to be more enthusiastic than I was and it was an amusing sight to behold.

"Sure. And the next time you meet him, I don't want to see you talking to him."

Sakura was blinking at me in confusion as I continued eating my food. She crooked her head to the side and looked at me questioningly.

"Why?"

"I don't like it." There was certain hatred behind my words which I accidentally added onto when I spoke. And from what I knew about Sakura, I was sure she must have noticed it.

She had a teasing look on her face as she began grasping the whole situation.

"Were you jealous when you saw me talking to him?"

There was silence between us when I refused to respond. I pretended I didn't hear what Sakura said and continued eating.

Sakura must have grown impatient at my lack of words and poked me in the forehead. I groaned and looked at her face.

She still had that teasing smile of hers and was looking at me as if she had discovered a deep dark secret of mine. I rolled my eyes and sighed in defeat. She wasn't planning to let me go until I told her the truth she desperately wanted to hear for some unknown reasons.

"Yes. I was jealous. You have a problem with that?"

Sakura was giggling at my answer, which made my ears burn a little from embarrassment. It was annoying how she managed to see through me and made me reveal a weakness of mine.

"I wasn't even as jealous as you when I saw how much chemistry you had with your female co-star!"

"There's nothing going on between me and my co-star. We're just working."

"I know. And you should know there is absolutely nothing between me and that rude guy."

"Hn."

"Anyway¸ I don't have a problem with you being jealous. It's make me sort of happy actually."

"You're weird."

"I could say the same about you."

I smirked at Sakura's reply to my insult and the two of us went back to finishing our food. As I ate, I tried to not to think too much about Sakura and Sai's encounter.

It wasn't like they were going to meet again.

At least, I hoped they wouldn't. Seeing them together gave me a really bad feeling.

It was an indescribable negativity inside me which was distracting me in ways I really wished it didn't.

* * *

Author's Note: So, what exactly is Sai's role in this fanfic? Continue keeping up with this story to find out! Meanwhile, I would really appreciate it if you would write a review and share your opinions regarding this fanfic. It would really help as well if you would drop some suggestions. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!


	9. Unreadable Expressions

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews! It gave me more ideas on how to continue the story and also ways on improving the fanfic. I really hope everyone will continue their wonderful support. Here's chapter 9 for all my amazing readers (insert happy grin)!

Chapter 9: Unreadable Expressions

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I was bored out of my mind.

It had been exactly a week since Sasuke started filming the TV drama and I had not seen him since our dinner that night. He was obviously too busy to go to school which was not something unusual in the first place.

The upsetting thing was the fact that he usually finished filming late at night. He would only reach his apartment at around 10 PM or later. It was too late for me to visit him at that time of the night and Sasuke needed to rest as well.

And he barely replied my messages.

" _Come on, Sakura. Don't be such a baby. You should be supportive instead of getting upset because your boyfriend is doing great in his career!"_

I was snapped out of my thoughts when a notification suddenly appeared on my phone. I immediately jumped from my seat on the garden's bench when I saw who the sender was.

* * *

Sasuke: I will be back in my apartment at 6 PM today. Are you free to come over to cook dinner for me?

* * *

If I would receive this message in the past, I would scold Sasuke for ordering me around like that. But I had been missing him too much and I was more than willing to cook for him.

Although it annoyed me a little to find out that a week was more than enough to make me miss him that much. How was I going to survive not meeting him for longer periods of time?

I hurriedly sent a reply to Sasuke before going back to my classroom. I couldn't remember ever being so excited for school to end.

I left my house in a light blue sundress at 5 PM. I went to a nearby convenience store and bought all the necessary ingredients. I arrived at Sasuke's apartment a few minutes before 6 PM but I saw his car so I assumed he was already back. I walked towards his apartment with plastic bags on both hands.

The door opened almost instantly after I rang the doorbell. I was beyond happy to see Sasuke but I didn't even get to say anything before he suddenly hugged me.

He was quiet as he tightened his embrace while I was speechless due to shock. I definitely didn't expect to receive a hug right after the door was opened. Not that I hated it, of course. To be able to feel Sasuke's warmth on my skin after not meeting for a week was more than I could ask for. Although it was quite chilly to stay outside but Sasuke was easily keeping me warm.

And that was when I realized something important.

I abruptly broke the embrace and pulled Sasuke into the apartment. I quickly close the door behind me and put down the grocery bags on the floor. The earlier warm feeling inside me was replaced by something with greater intensity.

"Did it occur to you that someone might see us out there?! We can't risk having another scandal about you spreading all over the place."

I must admit I enjoyed hugging Sasuke but it wouldn't be worth it if we were caught by someone else. Sasuke had always been a cautious person and it was rather surprising that he would be careless like that.

He looked at me in a slightly apologetically way, which proved that the fact that someone might catch us hugging outside his door didn't cross his mind.

"Sorry. I just couldn't stop myself when I saw you."

I felt a small blush creeping onto my cheeks when I realized I wasn't the only one missing the other. I didn't stop myself and jumped onto Sasuke for another embrace. I missed him so much and he was finally standing in front of me. I definitely couldn't think of any reasons to hold back.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on top of mine. We stayed there for quite some time, neither of us breaking the silence. It felt peaceful just staying there and taking in the warmth of the one we loved.

I was the one to pull away first and looked at Sasuke in the eyes. He looked tired and his eye bags were visible. I had seen him in a worse state though so I was rather relieved. I pinched his cheeks and smiled at him. No matter how much we enjoyed being in each other's arms, it was getting late and preparation for dinner must start soon.

"It's either you let go or we will both starve, Sasuke."

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I had not seen Sakura for a week and it was more agonizing than I had expected.

Things back at work were going smoothly but I had to admit I was getting lonely without Sakura around. I was standing by the fridge as I watched Sakura prepare the soup. She had a smile on her face as she hummed.

I walked over to her and hugged her from behind. She jumped in surprise and quickly turned to look at me. Her cheeks were slightly red but I wasn't sure if it was due to embarrassment or anger.

"You startled me, Uchiha!"

"Hn."

Sakura groaned at my lack of my respond and rolled her eyes before going back to cooking. I nuzzled her neck which made her tensed up a little. I smirked at her reactions and decided to tease her more.

I tightened my grip around her and planted a soft kiss at the side of her neck. I blew softly against her ear and was about to kiss her again when she pushed me away.

"I can't concentrate! You better stop if you want to have dinner!"

Honestly, I would prefer staying close to Sakura to having dinner. But judging from Sakura's reaction, she wanted me to think otherwise.

Dinner was safely served and I must say I missed Sakura's cooking. It wasn't extraordinary but I liked it. And I wouldn't mind having more of it in the future.

During dinner, Sakura was telling me about school. She told me what they had been learning in class and fortunately, it didn't sound very complicated. It was still manageable for the time being but I knew I should find more time to go to school.

"Enough about school. So, how's work lately?"

Sakura was looking at me in anticipation. I wasn't sure what she expected me to say though. There wasn't anything particularly interesting going on back at work. However, even though I hated to admit it, Sai had been doing great at work. His acting skills were as good as rumored and I had been having a hard time trying to keep up.

It was annoying but it served as a challenge. And I was always up for a difficult challenge like this. I wasn't planning to lose to him in any ways.

"It's going smoothly."

"Do you meet that rude guy often?"

It didn't take long for me to realize that it was Sai she was referring to. From their encounter last week, I wasn't surprised if Sakura had not forgotten about Sai's existence. I still disliked the thought of that though and groaned in displeasure.

"Why are you so interested about him?" My tone was more upset than I wanted it to be and I mentally scolded myself for showing my true feelings. It wasn't cool to show Sakura my jealous self for the second time.

"Are you jealous again? I was just wondering!" Sakura was chuckling as she poked my cheeks. The action made me groan again and I looked away from her.

When Sakura was getting tired of waiting for a response from me, she stood up and sat down beside me. She pouted as she continued poking me on the face.

I narrowed my eyes in annoyance at her but it made her grin instead. She was definitely enjoying the moment.

"Don't be so jealous so easily, Sasuke. Although I must say you look rather cute when you do."

I glared at Sakura for using the word 'cute' on me. She knew how much I disliked that.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me an adorable smile. I remained expressionless as I stared back into her eyes.

"Don't be upset and give me a smile, Uchiha."

I looked away from Sakura and an idea suddenly came to my mind. I smirked a little before facing back to the girl in front of me.

"If you don't want me to be upset, kiss me."

Sakura's smile vanished in an instant and her eyes widened to a great extend. Her face was flushed almost immediately and her ears were burning red. She was going to let go of me but I stopped her by wrapping my arms around her waist and brought her closer to me.

Her blush intensified when I let our foreheads touch. I could feel her heated breath on my face as we got closer.

When I saw that Sakura wasn't fighting back, I assumed she agreed to my suggestion. I closed the gap between us and kissed her on the lips. Her lips were soft and it took a considerable large amount of self control to not take things too fast. I wasn't planning on scaring Sakura away and I wanted her to enjoy the moment as much as I did.

I brought her onto my lap and she had her legs on either side of mine. Our earlier soft kisses were replaced by something with more passion and need. I was glad Sakura didn't push me away when I chose to deepen the kiss and tightened my embrace.

When we pulled away to catch our breaths, I took the chance to plant kisses on her neck. It made her moan softly and I smirked upon hearing it. I must say I felt rather proud to be able to entice such a sweet sound from Sakura.

I was surprised when Sakura suddenly pushed me away from her neck and kissed my lips furiously. I didn't hate to see how passionate she was though. It showed that I wasn't the only one with urges and I was glad to know that.

I only realized that we were on the floor for a long time when both of us needed more time to catch our breaths. I rested my forehead on hers again as I panted softly. Sakura's face was flushed and her hair was slightly messy. To be able to cause Sakura to look that way was more than enough to boost my ego. I smirked at the girl in my arms and she looked away in embarrassment. She definitely knew what sort of state she was in.

"Sakura."

Sakura tensed up when I called her name and I wasn't even sure why she was so nervous. She turned towards me and she looked as if I was going to devour her. Not that I minded doing that but that wasn't the plan for the night. Knowing Sakura, I knew that she wouldn't want to rush things. And I wasn't going to make her feel uncomfortable.

"W-What?" Sakura looked like she hated herself for stuttering, much to my amusement.

"Do you want to stay with me tonight?"

I must admit my question was very misleading and I understand why Sakura punched me on the stomach. She quickly stood up and took a few steps away from me. She looked at me as if I had just grown a third eye or something as she tried to form coherent words.

"W-What are you talking about?!"

"I should be the one asking. What are you thinking about, Sakura?" I smirked and it caused Sakura to blush an even deeper shade of red. I stood up to explain myself when I saw how speechless Sakura was.

"I am not going to do anything to you, Sakura. I am so busy these days and it is rare for me to have free time like today. So I was thinking if you want to sleep here tonight."

"Don't you have work tomorrow?" Sakura calmed down a little as she allowed some tension to escape her body.

"Work will start at 12 PM tomorrow. We can go have lunch together before work starts."

"Is it really okay for me to stay here tonight? Don't you need to rest for tomorrow?" I could sense Sakura's sincere worries behind her voice but I chose to use her words to tease her instead.

"Why won't I be having enough rest tonight, Sakura? What are you planning to do with me anyway?"

My smirk and suggestive tone was enough to send Sakura bright red. She grabbed a nearby cushion and threw it onto my face. It didn't remove the smirk off my face though.

"W-What I mean is that we will be talking a lot a-and you might sleep a bit later. A-And I might kick you in your sleep and wake you up in the middle of the night. O-Or I might hit you on the face or whatever!"

Sakura's explanation was getting even more ridiculous by the second and I chose to stop her by wrapping my arms around her neck. It definitely stopped her from coming up with even more absurd ideas.

"It's fine, Sakura. I will be happier if you stayed."

Sakura looked at me for a few moments before finally agreeing to my request.

"My parents are away on a business trip so I guess there's no need for me to ask for permission."

"Will they allow you to stay if you asked?" I was thinking of making Sakura tell her parents that she would be staying over at one of her female friends' house. It was a lie but I really wanted to stay with her that night. Anyway, it wasn't like I was going to do anything to her.

"I guess not." Sakura shrugged at the thought and had an odd look on her face.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I was washing the dishes while Sasuke was taking a shower. I hated to admit it but I allowed my thoughts to wander in the most inappropriate direction when Sasuke asked me to stay for the night. Even as I washed the dishes, I felt my ears burning up at the thought.

I was so distracted by my own stupid mind that I didn't realize Sasuke was standing behind me and hgged me from behind for the second time that night. He placed his head on top of mine and asked me to leave the rest of the dishes for him to do.

"Go take a shower and leave the rest to me. I placed a shirt on top of my bed for you to change into."

Sasuke gave me a peck on the cheek before I left to take a shower. I took the shirt from his bed and grabbed the towel beside it. There was still heat radiating from my skin from our earlier 'activities' and a cold shower was definitely something I needed.

I changed into the obviously oversized grey shirt Sasuke prepared for me. It reached up to the middle of my thigh so there wasn't a need to wear shorts underneath the shirt. And even if I wanted to wear shorts, there weren't any for me to change into.

Sasuke was sitting on the couch in the living room when I got out from the bathroom. I sat next to him and grabbed onto his arm. He removed his arm away from my hands and wrapped me around the shoulder. I comfortably laid my head onto his well toned chest as we watched TV.

There wasn't anything interesting on TV at that time and it was already almost 11 PM. I suggested that we should sleep soon since it was getting late.

"You're so eager to get to bed."

I didn't hold back the punch I sent flying to Sasuke's stomach. I continued glaring at him as he winced in pain.

"You need to rest if you want to stay energized for tomorrow."

It was Saturday the next day so I would be free for the entire day. It was Sasuke I was worried about. I was afraid that he would collapse from fatigue.

"I'll be fine. By the way, I'll be filming outdoors tomorrow. Do you want to watch?"

"Where will it be?"

"We're filming at a lake which is rather near to my agency."

"Is it alright for me to watch?"

"Of course. I don't want you to get anywhere near Sai though."

I couldn't stop myself from giggling when Sasuke showed me his jealous self again. I gave kissed him on the lips and reassured him that I wouldn't get anywhere close to that rude guy. It wasn't like I wanted to have anymore interaction with him anyway.

We spent the rest of the night cuddling and talking about random things which came into our minds. None of us noticed that it was already midnight and we just continued our little talks. After all, it wasn't everyday that we could spend time with each other that way.

"We should definitely spend our time this way more often, Sasuke."

And with that said, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Haruno, get up."

I groaned as I began gaining consciousness. I was still so sleepy and I really didn't want to get out of bed.

I heard Sasuke sigh and I was hoping he had given up trying to wake me up.

He proved me wrong in an instant.

I felt a hand on my thigh and my eyes immediately shot open. I sat up and pushed Sasuke away from the bed. I glared at him and pointed accusingly at him.

"You're such a pervert, Uchiha!"

"It's already past 10 AM and I need you to get out of bed right now."

It was then when I realized Sasuke had already showered and changed into a black polo shirt and a pair of white trousers. Even though I was still mad at him for sexually harassing me in the morning, I must say he was really good looking.

I glared at him for one last time before heading over towards the bathroom. I had nothing else to wear so I took with me the dress I was wearing last night. I was relieved to find the dress in an acceptable condition.

After having lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant, both Sasuke and I respectively drove to the filming set. It wasn't a good idea for us to be seen coming out from the same car and I needed my car to go home by the end of the day anyway.

The filming set was more crowded compared to the first day they started filming the TV drama. Sasuke said that fans still managed to find out where they were filming even though staffs had been trying to keep it a secret from the public. Those were definitely some determined fans, probably slightly fanatic as well.

I parked far from the crowds and saw Sasuke walking towards me when I got out from my car. Sasuke parked his car even further away and it was obvious that he was trying to avoid his fans. To be safe, he even had his hat and sunglasses on.

I always felt like laughing whenever I saw him in his disguise. He didn't look bad but it was just funny in my eyes.

"Wait here. I'm just going to go talk to my manager for a while."

Sasuke gave me a quick kiss on my forehead before walking away. I leaned on my car as I looked around. Despite the large number of people crowding near the lake, I caught a glimpse of the clear blue water. The air was slightly chilly and I shivered slightly when it touched my skin. But a different kind of shiver ran down my spine when I heard the voice of someone I didn't really want to meet.

"Oh, it's the fierce girl with pink hair."

I groaned and turned towards the person I honestly wasn't looking forward to meet. Somehow, another nerve in my head snapped when I saw how dashing he looked.

How could someone with such a problematic attitude had extremely good looks?

"What do you want?" My tone was that of an annoyed person who didn't want to have anything to do with the man in front of her.

"Just wanted to say hello. What are you doing here?"

I didn't give much of a response and just glared at him. He crooked his head and looked at me with an odd look. His next words caught me off guard though.

"You know, your pretty face could be ruined if you frown so much."

I hated myself for blushing at his words. And I was quite sure he was trying to insult me and had no intention of complimenting me at all. I glared angrily at him to hide the blush on my face.

"Mind your own business!"

He didn't seem affected at all even though I was clearly pissed off. He took a step towards me and had a small smile on his face.

And I couldn't help it but thinking how charming he looked. Oh, I really hated myself at that very moment.

"What's your name?"

"Why do you want to know?" I wasn't really keen in telling him my name. It would feel as if I was interested in becoming his friend or something.

"I am interested in you so I want to know."

What in the world was he saying?!

I couldn't believe how blunt this person was and I couldn't even begin to understand how his mind worked. All I could do was staring at him in disbelief.

Sai was about to say something again but was interrupted by Sasuke's sudden appearance.

"Sakura."

I turned towards Sasuke in surprise when I heard him calling my name. What surprised me more was the look on his face.

He was pissed off. Like, really pissed off.

I felt myself gulping in nervousness as I watched Sasuke walking towards me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and brought me closer to him, all the while he didn't stop glaring at Sai.

I turned to look at Sai and he had his expressionless face back. He just looked blankly at Sasuke but something told me there was something more behind those eyes of his.

The tension in the atmosphere was apparent and it was starting to make me nervous.

It was Sai who broke the silence first.

"Bringing your girlfriend to a filming set is not a wise thing to do, Sasuke."

"I don't need your advice."

There was hatred in Sasuke's tone and it made me flinch unwillingly. I felt my heart thumping against my chest and my hands were slightly trembling.

Despite the attitude Sasuke was giving off, Sai managed to smile at him. But it was the fakest smile I had ever seen in my life.

In all honestly, that smile scared me.

I watched Sai's back as he walked away. The tension in the air was beginning to die down until Sai turned towards us again.

He smiled at me with more sincerity, which was the complete opposite of the smile he gave Sasuke earlier. I widened my eyes in surprise and could only stare at him.

"I'll see you around, Sakura."

I didn't know what was in that mind of his but there was something about Sai which told me that I was going to find out soon enough.

* * *

Author's Note: So, there were some intimidate moments between Sasuke and Sakura in this chapter. Please tell me if you guys want them to be more intimate. I really don't wish to be adding scenes that readers would dislike! So please review and share with me your opinions! Thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter!


	10. The New Student

Author's Note: Everyone's review is making me so happy! Keep it up, guys! As for me, I will continue writing and make this fanfic even better. So continue supporting this story until the end!

Chapter 10: The New Student

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

It was Monday morning, two days after my last encounter with Sai. Sasuke was still pissed off by the end of the day but I was glad it didn't distract him from work. Sasuke was a professional, after all. He wouldn't allow his personal life to affect his career. And I admired him highly for that.

I was excited for school on Monday because of one reason; Sasuke would be there. He didn't have work that day and sent me a message on Sunday to tell me that he would be going to school the next day. I didn't get to meet him on Sunday because he had work so I was really anticipating for Monday to arrive.

When I arrived at my classroom, I felt a wide smile appearing on my face when I saw that Sasuke was already there. Of course, I wouldn't be so careless as to run to him and give him a bear hug. Our relationship was supposed to be kept a secret from the public. Only our closest friends know about us. If people were to know that we were dating, there would definitely be a huge commotion. And that was something neither Sasuke nor I wanted to face.

So instead of acting like an overexcited girlfriend, I took my seat in front of Sasuke calmly. I turned over to him and greeted normally.

"Good morning, Sasuke."

"Morning."

I was relieved to see that Sasuke was looking rather refreshed. The dark circles under his eyes were less obvious and there was more color on his skin. I assumed work went smoothly and he was able to get enough rest on Sunday night.

I was talking to Ino as we waited for Kakashi-sensei to start our homeroom session. He was late, as usual. We didn't even bother looking for him anymore. He would eventually come and give us some lame excuse for his tardiness. We're all used to it.

Apparently, Kakashi-sensei had a good reason for being late that morning. And when I found out that reason, I really hoped it was a lie, just like all the other excuses he would tell us.

"We have a new student today."

There was a commotion in our class since it was rare to have a new student in the middle of the school year. Everyone waited for the new student to enter the classroom and I did too. But I felt my breath stolen away from me when I saw who it was.

My classmates reacted differently from me though and I understood why.

The new student was Sai, the rising actor who had been gaining more popularity lately. How could my classmates not overreact?

"Oh my goodness, is that Sai?"

Ino was grabbing my arm as she stared at the newcomer. She was definitely infatuated by Sai's good looks and I wasn't even surprised. As for me, I was beyond shocked and confused.

I had a really bad feeling as to what would happen next.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

" _What is he doing here?"_

I could feel my blood boil as I glared at Sai. He definitely had a hidden motive for transferring to our school. After all, it was too sudden and too much of a coincidence. Out of countless schools in Tokyo, he chose to come to this school. Something was definitely wrong here.

Whatever he planned to do, I was going to keep a close eye on him.

After what happened on Saturday, my hatred towards him grew ten folds. This time, I had a good reason for it. It was the way he was looking at Sakura. The way his eyes turned soft as he spoke with her. And the smile he gave her before walking away.

I was greatly disturbed and I hated to see him acting that way. I wasn't planning to let him get his hands on Sakura.

I loved Sakura and she belonged to me. And I would make sure nothing would change that fact.

Sai looked towards me and he had his signature fake smile on. I intensified my glare at him and was clenching my fists. He was pushing me towards the limits of my tolerance and I wasn't letting him go that easily.

Sakura turned her head over her shoulder towards me. She appeared to be confused but there was a hint of concern in her eyes. I realized she was worried that I might be upset, which I was. But I didn't want to make Sakura more worried so I softened my expressions, pretending to be less unhappy than I actually was.

But my pretentious façade vanished immediately when Sai waved at Sakura in an overly friendly way. I saw Sakura jumped a little in her seat and the fact that all eyes in the classroom were on her didn't help her calm down.

I sent deadly glares towards Sai but was completely ignored by him. He was still smiling at Sakura as if they had been friends for the longest of time.

Kakashi-sensei noticed it as well and he just had to make things worse. I swore I would one day murder that masked teacher of ours.

"Do you know Sakura, Sai?" Kakashi-sensei appeared to be slightly surprised.

"Yes."

Sakura looked like she was about to say something but Kakashi-sensei didn't give her a chance to do so.

"That's great news. Sakura, since you know Sai, I'll put you in charge of showing him around later on."

"What?" Sakura hissed under her breath and I could feel her anger from where I was. She was definitely pissed off. And so was I.

"Now that's settled, why don't you take a seat, Sai."

When Sai walked pass me, he gave me yet another one of his fake smiles. It made me sick in the stomach and I couldn't stop my glare from intensifying.

I had never met someone who angered me more than him.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

The time when Kakashi-sensei had asked me to visit Sasuke and pass him some handouts, I was pissed off.

But this time, I was in a whole new level of anger. I couldn't even use words to describe the swelling emotions inside me.

After school had ended, Kakashi-sensei approached me together with Sai and asked me to show him around the school. I felt glares from girls around me for having the 'opportunity' to get close to a popular actor. As if I saw it as an opportunity, it was more like a curse.

Why did I always end up being the most hated girl in school? What had I done to deserve this?

I glared at Kakashi-sensei with all my might before surrendering to his request.

I shuddered slightly at the thought of how upset Sasuke must be. While I was showing Sai around, I caught sight of Sasuke leaning against a nearby locker. He was openly following Sai and me, which wasn't exactly a wise thing to do.

If anyone would notice Sasuke's odd actions, they might cause a big fuss. An unnecessary gossip might start spreading around the school. I grunted at the thought of having to go through being the topic of gossips.

I gave Sasuke a thoughtful look, hoping that he would understand what I was trying to say. He seemed to know what was on my mind but completely ignored me. He just kept his stoic face on as he continued following us.

Sasuke had never been so stupid and I sighed at that thought.

"Thanks for showing me around, Sakura."

My eyes left Sasuke's when Sai suddenly spoke. I turned to look at him and he had a smile on his face as he looked around. Surprisingly, he had yet to bring out that rude attitude of his.

"Why did you suddenly transfer to our school?"

I had been wondering about that since it happened so suddenly. When someone transferred to a new school in the middle of the school year, usually it was because they had to move towns or something as major as that. Or that student got expelled from their previous school. Even though Sai had a problematic attitude, I doubt he was the type to be expelled so that was out of the question.

"Would you believe me if I said it's because of you?"

I stopped on my tracks and felt my face burning up. I turned to look at him and more heat radiated from my skin when I saw the seriousness in his eyes. No matter how much I wanted to believe that what he said was a lie, his eyes were saying otherwise.

It took all the sanity inside me to regain my composure. I turned my eyes away from Sai's and quickly started walking again. I wasn't going to allow him to mess up my mind.

"Stop saying such nonsense."

I wanted to get things over with and was walking in a faster pace than earlier. But I was stopped once again. This time it wasn't my own intention but it was Sai who had grabbed onto my hand.

I was completely startled and turned towards Sai. He was looking at me with an unreadable expression and hated that. I hated how I was often unable to understand what he was thinking in that head of his. It would always trigger an unusual curiosity inside me and I despised that.

It made me feel as if I was interested in him or something.

And I definitely did not have any interest in that guy. That was for sure.

"What do you want?!" I snapped at him and tried to release my hand from his grip. It was futile though since he was much stronger than I was.

"I just want to say that I'm interested in you, Sakura. And I would like to be friends with you."

The earlier heat came back running throughout my body as I stared into the dark eyes in front of me. I couldn't fully comprehend the current situation and I was glad there wasn't anybody around to witness our interaction.

Well, there was one person, one very angry person.

My hand was suddenly released from Sai's and held by another person. I quickly looked up and much to my expectation, it was Sasuke. To be more precise, it was a very fed up Sasuke Uchiha.

He looked even angrier than the time Sai talked to me on Saturday. He was glaring so intensely at Sai, as if he was trying to blast his head on the spot. His grip on my hand was getting stronger by the second and it was starting to hurt. But seeing Sasuke looking so fierce, I was too afraid to speak up.

"Don't you dare touch her again." Sasuke's tone was threatening and he looked dangerously wild. Even though he wasn't directing his anger at me, fear was haunting me as I stared at him. It was unbelievable that Sai remained so composed and calm.

"You don't have to be so angry, Sasuke. I just want to be friends with Sakura."

Sai's monotone voice along with his fake smile sent an uncomfortable shiver down my spine. I didn't really understand what was it between the two of them, but the atmosphere around us became thick and almost unbearable. I wasn't sure if it was simply rivalry them or there was something deeper than that.

"I don't want you anywhere near my girlfriend."

Sasuke wasn't even asking properly. He was practically ordering Sai to do as he said. If it was even possible, Sasuke had appeared to become even scarier. I gulped in nervousness, not knowing what to do. At that moment, I could only manage to stand still and keep my mouth shut.

I felt so vulnerable and useless. It was a feeling I had despised for as long as I could remember.

"It's not nice of you to be so possessive, Sasuke. It's unfair for Sakura."

"I don't need you to tell me how to act."

With that said Sasuke dragged me away from Sai and didn't even look back once.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

If there was a word that described a person who was mad to an incredible extend, I would use that to describe myself.

When I noticed that Sakura already had her bag with her, I directly dragged her to where I parked my car. The school was almost deserted at that time and only a few students and teachers were left. There were questioning stares directed at us but I didn't care.

That time, all I wanted was to get Sakura as far as possible away from Sai. I hated myself for being so easily jealous but I couldn't help myself. When I saw Sai holding her hand, I could no longer just stand and do nothing. I was beyond furious and I wasn't going to let these strong emotions stay inside me.

Sakura was unusually quiet and just allowed me to drag her along. I knew I was scaring her and I was blaming myself for that. I lessened the strength I placed on the hand holding onto her, not wanting to hurt her more than I already had.

When we reached my car, Sakura entered the passenger's seat without a word. I had never seen her look so scared and I was honestly feeling very guilty. But I was too consumed by anger to speak and drove back to my apartment in silence.

Sakura was slightly trembling when she entered my apartment. I closed the door with more force than necessary and the bang produced made Sakura jump in shock. More guilt came to haunt me when I saw Sakura looking even more terrified than she was when she was in the car.

I knew what I had to do. I needed to hug her gently and apologize for my behavior. I would then assure her that I wasn't angry at her and all my frustration was directed at Sai. I should make her believe that there was nothing she should be afraid of and that she shouldn't be so scared.

But my stupid emotions had taken over me and I did none of those.

Instead, I roughly pulled Sakura to my bedroom and pushed her onto my bed. Fear was apparent in her eyes as I positioned myself on top of her. I didn't need a mirror to tell me that I was looking at her with icy eyes.

I tried to tell myself to stop acting like a bastard and apologize for everything I had done. But my voice couldn't find its way out of my mouth. I was blinded by anger and I did things I knew I shouldn't.

I fiercely kissed Sakura and ignored her when she tried to resist. She was trying to say something but I deepened our kiss instead. I felt Sakura jump when I touched her tongue with mine. My acts were supposed to bring pleasure to her but instead of that, I was bringing her fear and terror.

I continued my unforgivable act until I felt something cold against my cheeks. My eyes shot wide open, as if I was finally snapped out of my stupidity.

I slowly pulled away from Sakura and was afraid to meet her in the eyes. I knew what to expect but I felt so guilty that I was scared to see the truth. But I deserved the pain to find out what I had done to the woman I love.

I backed away far enough to clearly see Sakura's crying face. Tears were falling continuously from her watery eyes and her cheeks were completely drenched. The earlier fear in her green eyes was replaced by pain. She was hurt. And I was the one who had inflicted the pain on her.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."

I hated myself so much that I didn't even know it was possible. Needless to say, I just had done something I regretted most in my entire life. I should be showering Sakura with love, not terrorizing her with my own uncontrollable emotions.

I removed myself from Sakura and sat on the edge of the bed. I really wanted to hug her, comfort her and show her how sorry I was. But I no longer felt like I had the right to touch her. I was beginning to feel that I didn't even have the right to love her anymore.

I didn't deserve her.

But Sakura was feeling otherwise. She timidly but lovingly hugged me from behind. I could hear her soft sobs and her tears were falling onto my shirt. She wrapped her arms around my stomach and laid her head on my shoulder.

"Sakura, I don't deserve your love after what I had done."

"I don't want you to talk like that, Sasuke."

I was startled at the ferocity of Sakura's tone. But she wasn't angry at my harsh actions from earlier. She wasn't even angry in the first place. It was fierceness she portrayed to cover up the pain she was going through. She was really hurt and it was my entire fault.

"I was so scared, Sasuke. And it's not because you were rough with me. But I was scared you might leave me. I know you're not angry at me but for some unknown reason, I was worried that you will abandon me. I almost couldn't recognize you back there and I had no idea what was on your mind. So I thought that you might consider not loving me anymore, Sasuke."

"Sakura." I turned towards her and caressed her damped cheeks. She was sobbing under my touch and I felt pain in my heart when her tears touched my skin. I had completely forgotten my anger and all I wanted to do afterwards was to comfort the love of my life.

At that moment, she looked very fragile. I wanted to hold onto her gently so she wouldn't break. I wanted to love her properly, so I wouldn't be so stupid to hurt her all over again.

"I'm so sorry for hurting you, Sakura. Believe me, I will never leave you. I love you, I really do."

I wrapped my arm around Sakura's head and placed it on my chest. I let her cry on me as I stroked her beautiful pink hair. I took in her familiar scent to assure myself that she was still there. She was in my arms and I swore that I wouldn't do something to hurt her again. She didn't deserve such pain and deserved all my love instead.

"You don't have to apologize, Sasuke. I know you don't mean it. Please stop blaming yourself."

I tightened my embrace and placed a kiss on Sakura's forehead. I was treating her so carefully as if she was a delicate being. The hug was strong yet loving and I was glad that Sakura's sobs had completely stopped. At least she was starting to feel better already and I was glad.

Sakura slowly pushed herself from me until she was able to look at me in the eyes. Her eyes were still watery but there wasn't any trace of fear or pain anymore. Her eyes were filled with love and it warmed my heart instantly.

Kami-sama, did I really deserve the love of such a wonderful woman?

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

He was hurting as much as I did and I could feel it. He didn't mean to hurt me in the first place and I could feel it. And most importantly, he loved me so deeply and I could feel it.

I looked into his dark eyes and saw guilt behind them. He was really sorry and I really wanted to comfort him. I wanted to show him that I was fine and I wasn't blaming him at all.

I reached for his lips and kissed him gently. I saw his eyes widened slightly in shock before I closed my eyes to savor the softness I felt upon the contact. It didn't take long before Sasuke returned the kiss and I felt pleasure spreading throughout my body.

Sasuke gently pushed me down onto the bed, not breaking the kiss all the while. He gave equal attention to my neck and collarbone with his lips and I didn't stop my moans from escaping. Sasuke was showering me with soft and loving kisses, as if he was trying to erase the pain he had caused earlier. I didn't even blame him for that but I allowed him to continue what he was doing anyway. It was giving me immense pleasure, after all.

I grunted in disappointment when Sasuke's lips left my skin. He smirked at the look of my face and I pouted in response. Sasuke placed his forehead against mine and smiled so sincerely. As most people know, Sasuke wasn't exactly the type of person to smile often. So when he actually gave me such a heartfelt smile, I melted instantly.

I felt my eyes becoming watery all over again but it was for a different reason this time round. I felt so much love radiating from the man in front of me and I couldn't even begin trying to describe how happy I was.

Did I really deserve to be loved unconditionally by Sasuke Uchiha?

"I love you, Sakura."

"I love you too, Sasuke."

There was one thing I knew for sure; I loved Sasuke too much to be letting him go.

* * *

Author's Note: So there is some drama in this chapter. I hope you guys liked it! Anyway, I'm planning to add even more intimate scenes soon so I hope you guys won't mind. So I'll most probably change the rating of this fanfic after the next chapter will be posted. As usual, please leave a review on your way out! Believe me, reviews are very valuable and I appreciate every single reader's opinion and suggestion. Go ahead and blast me with your thoughts on this fanfic so far! Thank you for reading and see you on the next chapter!


	11. Field Trip

Author's Note: Sasuke realized that it was wrong of him to treat Sakura like that so please forgive him (insert puppy eyes). And forgive this writer who had made some of you uncomfortable with the previous chapter! I will try to avoid that. Oh, I have recently started a new fanfic featuring the Sasuke/Sakura pairing which is set in the medieval times, _asma raya_. I will be very happy if you and everyone else will check it out! Of course, do check out my other Naruto fanfic as well (insert happy grin). Anyway, thank you for your reviews everyone and also the follows and favorites. I'm really happy!

P.S. I know I mentioned that I would add more intimate scenes in this chapter. But the chapter turned out to be longer than I expected. So those scenes will be added on chapter 12 instead. Sorry about that!

Chapter 11: Field Trip

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I knew this was going to happen but who was I to blame other than myself.

My manager called to inform that filming was cancelled the next day due to some technical problems. So, naturally, I headed over to school.

And right after I stepped into school, the first thing I heard was rumors about Sakura and I, which were spreading around like wild fire. I was aware that some people had witnessed me dragging Sakura away from school. What was worse was the fact that someone actually saw what happened with Sai as well.

How could I forget the very meaning of the word 'self-control'?

Like usual, countless pairs of eyes were on me as I walked through the hallways. But it was different this time. It wasn't the usual love struck kind of stares, but there were curiosity in their eyes as they looked at me.

When I got to the classroom, I immediately noticed the odd look on Sakura's face. She didn't even notice that I had sat behind her. She was too engrossed in her own thoughts and you didn't have to be a genius to know what she was thinking of.

It was Ino who told Sakura that I had arrived. She quickly snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head towards me. She tried to act as normal as she could so she wouldn't attract more attention than she already did.

Unfortunately for her, her efforts to keep a low profile was futile.

Pairs of eyes followed us so closely that it was effortlessly making us feel uncomfortable. For someone like me who had always had people staring at me, I must admit I felt frustrated with my surroundings. I couldn't even begin to imagine how Sakura was feeling about it.

Sakura shot me a look before turning back to face the white board.

She was definitely troubled.

From the corner of my eye, I managed to catch a glimpse of Sai. He appeared indifferent, as if he was unaware of the things going on around him. It was impossible for him to not notice, of course. With these rumors around, he would be disturbed as well.

As if he could stay that calm for long.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

When Sasuke had drove me home last night after we made out and cuddled, I was in bliss. I went home to take a nice warm bath, ate supper and had a wonderful sleep.

Then my happy self disappeared once I reached school.

I sort of had expected there would be words going around about Sasuke dragging me out of the school, but never would I have thought someone had saw what happened with Sai.

Why had things gotten so out of hand?

I sent Sasuke a message to meet me at the roof after he finished his lunch. I could have just dragged him with me but that would just make the whole situation worse, wouldn't it? And that was the last thing I needed.

Sasuke was already at the roof before I arrived. He was standing at the end and turned his head around when he noticed my presence. He had his usual expressionless face on but I could clearly see that he was troubled.

Who wouldn't if they were in Sasuke's position?

"Sorry about all this." Sasuke was the first to speak up. I heard him sighing and he was running his fingers through his dark hair.

"Nothing will be solved by blaming yourself for what had happened. It's more important to think of a way to stop these rumors."

"Hate to break it to you, Sakura. But the rumors seem to be getting out of control."

I groaned at Sasuke's words and hung my head in defeat. What Sasuke had said was true. There were more people talking about us during lunch period compared to when I had just arrived at school. And the things they talked about were getting out of hand.

I actually heard a girl said that I seduced Sasuke and another was ridiculous enough to say that I had hypnotized him. Who in the world did they think I was?!

"What do we do now?" I sounded desperate and I really didn't care if I did. My mind was getting messed up and not even a day had passed. How was I supposed to survive?

Sasuke reached out to pull me into an embrace. It felt comforting to be in Sasuke's arms. He was silently telling me that everything was going to be alright and I found myself calming down.

That was until I remembered where we were at that time.

I quickly pushed Sasuke away and narrowed my eyes at him.

"We're still at school and you're hugging me. Aren't you afraid someone might see us?"

"Well, you looked like you needed a hug."

I pinched Sasuke on the cheeks and it was his turn to narrow his eyes at me. I didn't mind surprise hugs from Sasuke but it would be bad if someone was to suddenly appear.

"Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine." Sasuke reassured me and I let go of his cheeks. I giggled when I saw that I had left red marks on his handsome face and he was rubbing them to ease the pain.

"Do you think the rumors will reach outside the school?"

I saw Sasuke grimaced at the thought and the sight made me sigh. Judging from Sasuke's reaction, I knew his answer to my question.

"Like I said, don't worry. I'll handle it."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I wasn't sure if I would be useful but I didn't like the idea of sitting back and letting Sasuke do all the work.

Instead of being serious, Sasuke had a smirk on his face and I had an idea on what he was thinking.

"If you insist, there are _things_ you can help out with back in my apartment."

I punched Sasuke on the chest and glared at him.

"You pervert!"

I guessed that was Sasuke's way of saying he wanted to handle things on his own. But I was ready to help out in other things other than _that_ whenever he needed me.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

After school ended, I went to the garden to pick up my manager's call. He definitely didn't sound very happy.

"What did you this time, Sasuke?"

"How bad is the situation?"

"So many people are talking about it in the internet. I am sure it'll be worse than the previous scandal."

I groaned in frustration but I had expected things to turn out this way. This time, there were more eyewitnesses and hence, the rumor was more reliable.

"Can you handle things this time?"

"I doubt it. But I'll try to see if there's anything I can do. For the time being, can you please behave?"

"Hn."

"By the way, the director just contacted me and said that some changes had to be made to the script. And we're ahead of schedule so he decided to resume filming next week to settle everything."

"Alright."

I hung up and sighed again. If Orochimaru wasn't confident that he could handle the rumors, it just showed how bad the situation was.

"Sasuke." I was so distracted that I didn't realize that Sakura was sitting beside me. She looked at me with concern in her eyes and I smiled a little to assure her that I was fine.

It didn't fool her, of course. But I was glad she chose to leave the topic be for now. She could see that I didn't want to talk about it.

"So are you going this weekend?"

I raised an eyebrow at Sakura in confusion.

"Where?"

Sakura pinched me on the cheeks for the second time that day.

"Did you pay attention to what Kakashi-sensei was saying during homeroom?"

I stayed silent and Sakura took that as a 'no'.

"Our batch will be having a field trip to Hakone from Friday until Sunday. Are you available to join?"

"I am. Filming will only resume next week."

Sakura didn't even bother hiding her excitement and was grinning widely at me.

"That's great! It's been a long time since I went to Hakone. And we're going to stay at the best hot spring resort during our trip! I'm glad you're coming as well."

I ruffled Sakura's pink hair as she continued giggling to herself.

With everything going on around us, a trip to the hot springs sounded very appealing.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

It was Thursday night when Ino decided to come over to my house. Sasuke had been spending most of his time back at home with his family. After all, it was rare of him to have so much free time and his family definitely wanted to spend more time with him.

The rumors about us and Sai had yet to die down. I began to wonder if we should just reveal that Sasuke and I were dating so people could stop coming up with their own stories. But I knew better than to make such decisions without thinking it through.

For the past few days, I convinced myself not to get too affected by the words circulating around me and just focus on living my life.

"Have you finished packing, Ino?"

Ino suddenly came over to my house without informing me beforehand. She often did this so I got used to it already. We were inside my room and she was just watching me packing my things for the trip the next day.

"I got so excited for the trip that I finished packing yesterday! What are you bringing with you, Sakura?"

I had gotten all the clothes I wanted to bring along and placed them on my bed. Ino was looking through them and brought some up to get a better look.

"These are really cute dresses. Are you going to bring along cute lingerie as well?"

I turned my head over my shoulder to look at Ino when I sensed something unusual in her tone. She had a smirk on her face as she looked very suspicious.

"What are you trying to say, Ino?"

"I heard Sasuke will be joining this trip too." She still had her smirk on as she placed my dress back onto the bed. I rolled my eyes at her and had an idea on what she had in that dirty mind of hers.

"He is." I closed my wardrobe when I got all the clothes I needed. I turned around to face my smirking blonde friends.

She wasn't planning to make things easy for me, was she?

"Speak your mind, Ino."

"Well, we're going on a trip to a hot spring resort in Hakone. The atmosphere will be peaceful and romantic. And with Sasuke with there with you, who knows what will happen."

"What in the world are you implying, pig?" Ino had always been a straightforward person so when she was indirect that way, it got on my nerves.

"Must I say it so bluntly, forehead? What I'm trying to say is that you might lose your virginity during this trip."

I knew she was thinking of that.

"Shut up, Ino."

I turned around to hide my flushed face and went to get my luggage. I took out a small pink luggage, which was enough to carry everything I needed for the three days and two nights trip.

"Come on, Sakura! It will be the perfect chance! It'll be so romantic." Ino walked over to the drawer where I kept my lingerie and began rummaging through it. I glared at her but she completely ignored me. I watched her as she took out a few pairs of lacy lingerie.

"Bring these with you, Sakura. It'll make your first time even better." Ino's earlier smirk came back and I knew she wouldn't stop talking unless I agreed to do as she said. I snatched the lingerie from her hands and threw them to the pile of clothes I would be bringing with me.

There wasn't any harm in bringing them along with me anyway.

I began blushing even more furiously as Ino continued talking about _that_. She just wouldn't stop no matter how much I told her to.

At times like these, I wondered if having Ino as one of my closest friends was a blessing or a curse.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I arrived at the railway station at 8 AM, as told by Kakashi-sensei. Sakura was already there when I arrived and she waved a little at me. I nodded in response before walking towards my friends.

Naruto wrapped his arm around my shoulder and was giving me one of his signature foolish grins.

"What?"

"What are your plans during this trip?" Naruto's grin was slowly turning into a perverted smirk. I glared at him when I realized what he was trying to say.

"I don't understand what you're talking about." I removed Naruto's arm from me and decided to feign ignorance.

"Shikamaru is your roommate, right? And Sakura will be roommates with Ino. I'm sure Shikamaru and Ino don't mind to do a roommate exchange." I was glad that Naruto had the brain to make sure he was speaking in a low voice. His words would definitely cause the rumors to escalate in the wrong direction.

When I felt another arm around my shoulder, my eyebrow twitched in annoyance. I was about to give Naruto a piece of my mind until I realized it wasn't Naruto.

It was Shikamaru.

"I just want to say that I don't mind exchanging roommates."

"Are you losing your mind like Naruto? I expected more from you, Nara."

"Unlike you, I'm a healthy teenager with normal teenage needs, Uchiha."

"Don't talk as if I'm different in that aspect."

"Does that mean you agree to exchange roommates?"

I must be out of my mind as well to have agreed.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I spent the entire train ride talking to Ino, Tenten and Hinata. Tenten was talking about her date with Neji few days ago and Ino was forcing her to give us details. After much forceful persuasion from Ino, she told us more details than she wanted.

Then the conversation led back to the rumors on Sasuke, Sai and I. I had told them about what really happened few days ago but kept quiet about the event back in Sasuke's apartment. They said it would take a long time before the rumors would die down. And for now, I should just be careful and avoid creating more chances for people to gossip.

I made eye contact with Sai inside the train and quickly looked away. I really didn't want to have anything to do with him. Not only did he said something really weird the last time we interacted, if people saw me talking to him, who knew what sort of rumors would be spreading around again.

" _It's the safest to just ignore him."_

The train ride wasn't a long one and before we realized, we had already arrived at Hakone. We were taken to the hot spring resort to put our things down before starting the day. There were four teachers with us; Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei and Gai-sensei.

I was put under the supervision of Kakashi-sensei, along with Sasuke, Naruto and much to my displeasure, Sai was in the same group as well. We were supposed to stay with our group throughout the trip to make supervising easier. I was quite disappointed that I wouldn't spend a lot of time with Ino, Tenten and Hinata but at least I have Sasuke and Naruto with me. And just like what I had decided, I would ignore Sai as much as I could.

I received deadly glares from Sasuke's annoying fan girls when they found out that I would be in the same group as their _Sasuke-sama_. It annoyed me even more when Sai's fan girls joined in the glaring game. All of them just couldn't stop being irritating and continuously labeling me as a 'seductress'.

Well, like I cared what they thought. They weren't worthy of my precious time.

We went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch and I sat between Sasuke and Naruto. Sai sat rather far from me but I knew he was looking at my way once in a while. Sasuke must have noticed it too and I saw him glaring at him. I pinched Sasuke's lap to stop him from what he was doing. We were under the observation of people around us and Sasuke wasn't doing a good job in being discreet.

As for me, I was so used to being glared at by numerous pairs of eyes at once that I had grown the ability to ignore them. That was a good thing since I ended up being able to enjoy myself during the trip.

After we left the restaurant, we were brought to the Hakone Shrine. I had been there before with my parents but it was a long time ago. I found the place to be very peaceful and the breeze from Lake Ashi was comforting.

Kakashi-sensei asked Sasuke and Naruto to help him carry some boxes of water so I walked around by myself first. I decided to walk over to Lake Ashi to enjoy the beautiful view. There wasn't anybody around since most people decided to visit the shrine first.

The water from the lake was as clear and blue as I remembered them to be. The rustling of the leaves and the sound of the soft currents hitting the shore filled the air around me.

I was just taking in the sight in front of me when I suddenly heart Sasuke's voice. I was surprised at how angry he sounded.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I blinked at Sasuke in confusion and realized that he wasn't talking to me. That was when I noticed the presence of another person behind me.

I turned around and saw that it was one of Sasuke's fan girls, who had been glaring at me a whole lot. I also recognized her as one of those girls who had been going around and saying all those horrible things about me.

She looked completely startled and shocked at Sasuke's appearance and she ran away after glaring me for one last time.

"What was that about?" I muttered to myself as Sasuke walked over to me.

"When I got here, I saw that she was about to push you into the lake."

"What?!" I exclaimed louder than I intended but I couldn't hide my shock.

"It's my fault that this has to happen. I won't be able to forgive myself if anything bad happens to you."

Sasuke was looking at me with apologetic eyes and I felt touched and sad at the same time. I could feel his love towards me but somehow, I managed to sense his guilt as well. I reached out to caress his face lovingly, wanting to tell him that it wasn't his fault and I would be alright.

"Come on. Don't blame yourself. You saved me just in time! Look, I'm well and alive."

Sasuke gave me a smile before holding onto my hand. He started to walk in the direction of the shrine.

"What are you doing, Sasuke?" There would be so many people at the shrine and holding hands while we were there didn't sound like a good idea.

"We're going to the shrine."

"No! I mean, why are you holding onto my hand?"

"So I can keep you close to me and make sure you stay safe."

I released my hand from Sasuke's and narrowed my eyes at him.

"Are you out of your mind?! It is a bad idea. If those girls see us holding hands, my life will be in greater dangers."

Sasuke stayed quiet for a few moments, looking like he had contradicting thoughts inside his head. He must had realized how big of a mistake he was about to make. He closed his eyes for a while and spoke when he opened them again.

"Fine. But stay within my sight."

"Alright."

I smiled at Sasuke and walked to the shrine with him. Seeing Sasuke getting worried for me was touching and I had a strong urge to hug him tightly.

But that could wait for now.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

The first day was filled with sightseeing activities and we got back to the hot springs resort by 7 PM. We had dinner in the resort and were given some announcement from our teachers before we were dismissed. We were told to stay inside the resort and meet up in the lobby at 9 AM the next day.

When I entered my room, Shikamaru was already sitting on the bed. The room was not very big but had a homely atmosphere. There was a king sized bed in the middle and there was a wardrobe on the left side. There was a door on the right, which I assumed led to the bathroom.

"Remember the plan, Uchiha?"

Shikamaru's words were vague but I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"You were serious about that?" I had to ask one more time for confirmation.

"Don't be so troublesome. I'm deadly serious."

"Fine."

It wasn't like I minded sharing a room with Sakura. But I wasn't confident that I would be able to control myself. What if Sakura wasn't ready to take the next step?

But Shikamaru Nara wasn't taking no for an answer so might as well play along for now.

"The teachers are currently having a meeting. This is the best time to switch rooms. Sakura isn't informed about this yet so I suggest that you'll be the one to go to her room."

I was holding onto my luggage when there was a knock on our door. I pulled my luggage with me and opened the door to reveal a smiling Ino.

"Hello, Sasuke. I hope you'll treat Sakura _gently_."

I heard Shikamaru's slight chuckle and I narrowed my eyes at Ino. I was about to leave when Shikamaru suddenly called out to me.

"I have something for you, Sasuke."

I turned my head over my shoulder and successfully caught the object Shikamaru threw towards me.

I looked at the object in my hand and frowned.

"Are you kidding me?" I wasn't sure if one should be feeling anger or embarrassment when their friend gave them a condom.

"You can thank me later."

I chose to not respond at the smirking Shikamaru and left the room after keeping my 'present' in my pocket.

I groaned when I arrived in front of Sakura's room. But I knew it wasn't safe to be loitering outside in the hallways. The trouble I would get myself into if I were to be seen was unthinkable.

I knocked at the door a few times and waited for it to be opened. And when it did, I saw Sakura wearing a sleeveless light pink pajama dress which barely reached her knees.

"What are you doing here, Sasuke? And why do you have your luggage with you?"

With this, what were the chances that I could control myself?

No chance at all.

* * *

Author's Note: Are you curious as to what will happen inside the room? (insert mischievous grin) If you do, please look forward to the next chapter! Please leave a review as well. Follows and favorites are highly appreciated too! Thank you for reading and have a nice day!


	12. Lust and Love

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews! They make me super duper happy and I'm not exaggerating! And every follow and favorite makes me so happy too. Fast updates exist because of amazing people like you guys!

 **Warning** : This fanfic has officially became M rated. There are sexual contents in this chapter (almost the whole chapter).

Chapter 12: Lust and Love

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

" _What is going on?"_

I came out from the bathroom and found out that Ino had disappeared along with her bags. Then I opened the door and saw Sasuke outside with his luggage and had an odd look on his face.

So many questions were running around my head but I did what I had to do first.

I pulled Sasuke into the room before anyone could see him. The last thing we needed was more rumors spreading around. We had more than enough attention from people around us.

When I had closed the door, I let out a soft sigh before turning towards Sasuke. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him. He was behaving weirdly, after all.

"So, care to explain what is going on here?"

Sasuke wasn't even looking into my eyes as he explained the situation.

"Shikamaru and Ino wanted to be roommates so they asked me to be your roommate."

" _That pig. I should have known she was up to something."_

I let out another loud sigh as I mentally murdered that blonde friend of mine. If she told me about this, it wasn't like I was going to stop her. I don't exactly mind being roommates with Sasuke. Just that, my whole body was filled with nervousness and I could literally hear my heartbeat.

I was caught off guard when I saw Sasuke standing outside the room. It wasn't like I was unhappy or anything.

But my reaction seemed to have caused a misunderstanding and Sasuke had a rather dejected face.

"If you're uncomfortable with this, I can go ask Ino to come back."

Sasuke was about to head towards the door and I was panicking. I didn't mean to act as if I didn't want him there. And I felt so guilty looking at the expression he was making. I never saw him looking so rejected.

In reflex, I ran towards Sasuke and hugged him tightly, stopping him in his tracks. I looked at his face and saw him widened his eyes in surprise. I gave him an apologetic face while asking him to stay.

"Don't go, Sasuke."

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

At one moment, she looked upset at the fact that I was there and I must say it felt like there was a dagger stabbing my heart. Then in the next instant, she was hugging me and asked me not to go.

What in the world was her real intention?

"Please don't misunderstand, Sasuke. I looked upset earlier because I was thinking that Ino should have just told me about this. She didn't have to disappear. I mean, it's not like I would stop her."

I stayed silent for a while, trying to register her words into my mind.

"Does that mean you want me here?" I had to confirm the meaning behind her words before I would end up misunderstanding again.

There was a shade of pink on Sakura's cheeks as she nodded and hid her face on my chest.

That was when I realized that Sakura's body was pressed against mine. I could feel her soft chest on my hard one and the contact had a direct effect on me.

" _I'm in this room for less than five minutes and inappropriate thoughts are running around in my head already. Good going, Sasuke Uchiha."_

When Sakura pulled away from the hug, the color on her cheeks became deeper. She seemed to be as nervous as I was. But I could also sense anticipation as I looked into her beautiful green eyes.

I smirked a little, not wanting to let Sakura notice it. I was relieved to see that she wanted this as much as I did.

"Have you showered, Sasuke?" Sakura's voice was softer than usual and I could hear a slight tremble.

"No. I'll go take one now."

I pulled away from Sakura and opened my luggage to get a change of clothes. I kissed Sakura on the forehead before disappearing into the bathroom.

I had a feeling she was going to drive me crazy that night.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I sat on my bed and browsed through my phone to distract myself from the indecent thoughts inside my head. As I listened to the running shower, I found myself imaging a naked Sasuke.

" _Oh my goodness, you're turning into a pervert, Sakura Haruno. Get a hold of yourself."_

My phone wasn't doing its job as a distraction so I placed it on the night stand instead.

I began playing with the hem of my pajama dress as I tried to push away the image of a totally naked Sasuke out of my head. I was beginning to feel like I could turn into a huge pervert like Kakashi-sensei.

My body tensed up when I realized that the shower had stopped running. I looked around nervously, trying to see if there was anything around to act as a distraction.

Unfortunately, there was none.

I was trying so hard to act natural but all I could manage was hiding under the blanket. When I heard the bathroom door opened, I brought the blanket up to cover half of my face. But when I heard the sound of the closed door, I gathered as much courage as I could and took a glimpse of Sasuke.

His face was covered by the towel he was using to dry his hair. I put down the blanket onto my lap when I saw that we weren't making eye contact. He was wearing a white shirt, which seemed to be too tight, and a pair of grey sweatpants. His shirt stuck to his skin, showing the outline of his toned chest.

I felt more heat radiating from my already flushed face as I took in the sight in front of me. I doubt I was capable of controlling myself if I was up against _that_. He was beyond gorgeous.

" _You're hopeless, Sakura Haruno."_

I yelped when I made eye contact with Sasuke and immediately felt like a gigantic idiot. I had spent so much time with Sasuke in his apartment, just the two of us. But I never remembered being so nervous. What was wrong with me?

Perhaps it was different because I knew we were going to spend the night together. We would be sharing the same bed and who knew what might happen. However, I must admit it wasn't fear that made me nervous.

It was more like anticipation instead.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Sasuke hanging his towel inside the wardrobe and slowly walked towards the bed. The sound of my racing heart was apparent again as I tried my best not to appear too nervous.

I failed to do so, of course.

My shoulders trembled a little when I felt another weight on the bed. I gulped before turning to my side. I made eye contact with Sasuke, who reached out to brush some strands of hair away from my face and tugged them behind my ear.

He caressed my face lovingly, as if he was handling a fragile person. I pushed my face onto the warmth of his hand and felt my whole body relaxed instantly.

I almost forgot I was nervous in the first place.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

Sakura was simply irresistible.

One of the straps of her pajama dress was beginning to slide down her shoulder and she looked absolutely alluring.

I saw the tension leaving her body as I gently touched her soft cheeks. I wanted nothing more than to have her feel comfortable and relaxed around me.

When I saw Sakura smiling at me, I leaned in to kiss her on the lips. Both my hands were cupping her cheeks and I could feel heat radiating from our contact.

Sakura wrapped her arms around my neck and I allowed one of my arms to relax on her side. Our kiss was gentle at first, slow and almost innocent. It was like none of us wanted to rush things and end up messing up the atmosphere.

When I felt Sakura moving her head to the side, I knew she wanted more. I licked her bottom lip lightly, and much to my relief, she responded by giving me access into her mouth. Our kiss intensified immediately and I felt blood rushing to my lower regions.

We pulled away from each other when we were in dire need of air. Our faces remained close as we tried to catch our breaths. I placed my hands on Sakura's shoulders and pushed her a bit to take a better look of her.

Her eyes were clouded and her mouth was slightly parted as she panted. Her chest was moving up and down in a steady pace as she took in fresh breaths. By then, both the straps of her pajama dress were already sliding dangerously low, revealing enough cleavage to bring heat onto my face.

I was right when I said Sakura was going to drive me crazy.

"Sasuke." My eyes widened a little when I heard Sakura's husky voice. She almost sounded as if she was begging me to continue.

I smirked at her, which made her even more flushed than she already was.

I granted her silent request by kissing her neck and I was rewarded with a soft moan. I continued showering her with kisses on all accessible places; her jaw, shoulders and collarbone. The moans she made were proofs that she was filled with pleasure. I felt a strong arrogance swelling inside me, knowing that I was the one who caused her to be in the state she was.

I stopped pampering Sakura's skin with attention and I heard her whimper. I backed away, far enough for me to look at her face. Her eyes were now reflecting need and lust. I smirked at her, which made her jump a little.

"Does it feel good, Sakura?"

My teasing tone made her narrow her eyes at me. She glared at me, trying to show that she was displeased with the way I spoke.

But instead of feeling intimidated, I was overflowing with uncontrollable desires.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

" _How dare he make fun of me?"_

It was true that I was feeling immense pleasures as Sasuke kissed me passionately. But to have him voicing it out was just way too embarrassing.

" _He's going to pay for this."_

It was my turn to smirk at Sasuke, causing him to look at me in confusion. I placed my hands on his lap and leaned closer to him. My action had caused him to remove his hands from my shoulders and I used this chance to move from my position.

Sasuke was still looking at me oddly as I settled myself on top of his lap, with my legs on either side of his body. While straddling the stunned Sasuke, I could feel his arousal touching my already wet core and it took all the self control I had to prevent a moan from escaping.

After all, I was planning to make Sasuke moan instead.

I ran my hand under Sasuke's shirt and began exploring his well-toned body. As I ran my hand against his abs, I leaned lower to show him more of my half exposed chest. I heard his sharp intake of breath and his lustful eyes were fixated on my torso.

I couldn't stop myself from smirking again, looking at how I had affected the stoic Sasuke Uchiha. Somehow, it triggered more courage inside me and I found myself getting more daring by the second.

I pressed my hot core onto Sasuke's obvious arousal and wrapped my arms around his neck. I heard Sasuke grunting upon the contact in our lower regions and it made me smirk even wide. Sasuke looked like he was about to say something but I silenced him by crashing my lips onto his.

It didn't take long before our kiss turned into a fierce one, a complete opposite of our first few gentle kisses. But despite the aggressiveness, it felt loving at the same time.

While our tongues battled for dominance, I moved my hips against Sasuke's throbbing erection. Upon hearing his hisses against my mouth, more heat went towards my soaking core. I pressed my chest onto Sasuke, and I couldn't stop my moan from escaping when my hard nipples touched his body.

I reached the end of Sasuke's shirt and pulled it off over his head. I took a few moments to admire his trained body before ravishing it with hot kisses. I smiled smugly against his skin when I heard him groaning in pleasure as I brought one of his nipples into my mouth. I licked it while enveloping it with my lips and biting it gentle before releasing it.

I looked into Sasuke's eyes, which was completely devoured by lust, and pushed him onto the bed. My wet womanhood was still in contact with the apparent tent on his sweatpants as I leaned down to place a hot trail of kisses from his neck down to his abdomen.

"S-Sakura." I felt my core throbbing upon hearing Sasuke's hoarse voice calling out my name. And I immediately decided that I wanted to hear more.

I pulled Sasuke's sweatpants and tossed it onto the floor without warning. And just as I had expected, he wasn't wearing any underwear or boxer. I felt my entire body heating up as I stared at his painful looking erection, standing proudly in front of me.

A part of me was starting to feel scared seeing the size of Sasuke's manhood. How in the world was it supposed to fit in _there_?

But when I looked up and saw how aroused Sasuke was, the fear went back into hiding and I proceeded to what I was planning to do in the first place.

"Sakura, what are y-"

Sasuke's words were replaced by a sharp hiss when I started licking his shaft. I timidly placed my hands at the base of his erection as I continued licking up to the tip of his now throbbing dick. I felt victorious when I saw Sasuke covering his eyes with one of his arms and the other went to grab my hair. I felt slight pain on my scalp but I didn't care.

I suddenly felt the urge to tease him so I removed my tongue from his erection. Sasuke removed his arm from his eyes and glared a little at me, showing that he was upset that I had stopped.

"Why are you looking at me that way, Sasuke?" I managed to bring out an innocent voice and pouted slightly.

Sasuke's eye twitched a little before answering me in a low and raspy voice.

"I don't want you to stop."

"What do you want me to do?" I tried so hard not to laugh as Sasuke's glare intensified. I knew he hated it whenever I made fun of him.

There were a few moments of silence before Sasuke spoke in a sterner tone. It was the kind of tone he used when he refused to have 'no' as an answer.

"Suck me, Sakura."

And that was all I needed to continue my previous activity. My hand began stroking his manhood as I licked the tip, tasting some of his pre-cum. When Sasuke's moans became louder, I began massaging his balls and putting his dick inside my mouth.

"S-Sakura." Sasuke started pulling my hair with more force, which I knew was his way of asking me to go faster. I granted his request and put his entire length inside my mouth. I gagged slightly but continued anyway. The voices Sasuke made as I put his erection in and out of my mouth were heavenly.

And I made me wanting even more.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

Sakura's mouth felt incredible. The way she would lick my throbbing dick as she sucked on it brought immense pleasures. Moreover, watching her pink head bobbing up and down on my erection made me even more aroused than I already was.

When I felt the tip of my dick touching the walls of Sakura's hot mouth, I knew I had reached my limits.

"S-Sakura, I'm g-going to cum."

Instead of releasing her mouth from my dick, Sakura sucked on it faster than ever. I grunted in the incredible pleasures going through my entire body. And before I could do anything to stop it, I had released my seeds inside Sakura's mouth.

I had an arm over my forehead as I panted for air. I had never felt something as good as that. What pleased me more was the fact that there were better things coming up afterwards.

I removed my arm away from my face when I felt Sakura sitting on my abs. My manhood reacted immediately when I felt her wetness touching my skin. I watched her as she swallowed my cum and wiped away some of them which escaped her mouth. The sight was beyond sexy and I almost couldn't control myself.

Sakura was looking at me with intense lust in her darkened green eyes. She didn't have to say a word for me to understand what she wanted.

I grabbed onto her waist and pushed her onto the bed. I placed my hands on either side of her head and stared at the very aroused Sakura. The cloth clinging onto her rather sweaty body wasn't helping her to cover up much. The hem of the dress had risen up so high that I was able to get a glimpse of her black lacy underwear. And the way her chest was exposed was simply inviting.

Without a word, I took off Sakura's pajama dress and I saw her shivering at the sudden lack of covering. Like I guessed, she wasn't wearing a bra so I was welcomed by two much erected nipples. I smirked when I saw Sakura blushing over the fact that I was staring at her exposed body.

I placed my hands on her shoulder and leaned in to take one of her nipples into my mouth. I use one of my hands to massage the other breast, giving them equal attention. Sakura was writhing on the sheets as she moaned in pleasure.

I released my mouth from her nipple and did the same to the other. And of course, I massaged the other breast and used my thumb to draw circles on the nipple I just sucked.

When I stopped giving attention to Sakura's breasts, she groaned in annoyance. I looked at her slightly pissed off face and smirked.

"Don't look so angry, Sakura. I just want to return the favor."

"What do you mean?" Sakura appeared to be puzzled at my vague words but I chose to answer her through my actions.

I moved downwards until I was face to face with her clothed arousal. And without another word, I licked her soaking womanhood through her damp underwear, making Sakura shudder in pleasure.

"S-Sasuke!"

Sakura's moans were music to my ears but it still wasn't enough.

I removed her underwear and tossed it where my sweatpants were. I could instantly smell her arousal and it made my erection twitch. Sakura shivered when my breath tickled her bare core and I couldn't stop my ego from soaring high when I saw how wet she was.

"Stop staring, Sa-"

I interrupted Sakura by inserting my tongue into her entrance. I could feel how tight she was and I began imagining her insides wrapping my dick. But that could wait. I still wanted to bring pleasure to Sakura.

"S-Sasuke, it f-feels so good. M-More."

Sakura's encouraging words made me rub her clit using my thumb. I could feel Sakura shivering at the sudden contact and her moans were getting louder. I inserted my tongue at a faster pace and rubbed circles around her clit.

When I pulled my mouth away from her soaking womanhood, I could hear Sakura muttering incoherent words under her breath. My thumb was still rubbing her clit as I moved upwards to meet her face.

She was in an even more aroused state and it was a captivating sight. She had teased me earlier and she knew how much I disliked that. It was my turn to annoy her.

Using the hand that was still rubbing her, I positioned my middle finger in front of her entrance. I began touching the area around it, making Sakura whimpering under me.

She glared at me, failing to look intimidating, but I knew the meaning behind that look. She knew I was teasing her and she hated it as much as I did.

"You don't look very happy right now." I spoke in a mocking tone, which irritated her even more.

"P-Please, S-Sasuke." Her glare vanished and was replaced by a pleading look.

"I don't quite understand, Sakura. What do you want me to do?" I raised an eyebrow at her, feigning ignorance.

I saw Sakura biting her lower lips and moaned at what my thumb was doing to her. It didn't take much time before she snapped.

"Fuck me with your fingers, damn it!"

I smirked as I had my eyes fixed on hers. Since she had asked, it would be horrible of me if I didn't fulfill her wish, wouldn't it?

"If that's what you want, Sakura, I shall comply."

I inserted my finger into Sakura's tight womanhood and heard her wincing in pain. I stopped to allow her to get used to the sudden intrusion. I wouldn't continue until she was feeling comfortable.

"S-Sasuke, p-please. Please c-continue."

I nodded slightly before removing my finger and thrust it back in again. Sakura's earlier pain had vanished and her moans were full of ecstasy. When I felt like she was ready, I inserted another finger inside her.

"Sasuke, f-faster."

I listened to Sakura and increased my face. My fully erected dick was reacting to Sakura's cries of pleasures. I stared at her as I continued thrusting my finger inside her wet cavern.

Her body was covered by a thin layer of sweat and her long pink hair was fanning at her sides. Her eyes were half closed and I could see how aroused she was.

I inserted a third finger and her moans intensified. Her walls were clamping onto my fingers and I found myself groaning slightly at the sensation.

"You're so tight, Sakura."

"Sasuke, faster! I-I'm cumming."

I increased my pace, wanting to grant Sakura the pleasure she deserved. With a few more thrust, Sakura let out her loudest moan and came on my fingers. I slowly removed my cum-covered fingers and licked them.

Sakura watched me lick her liquids off my fingers with lustful eyes and I knew she wasn't done yet.

And neither was I.

After licking my fingers dry, I placed my hands on either side of her head and stared into her dark green eyes.

"Ready for more, Sakura?"

Sakura returned my smirk and spoke in a seductive tone which I had never heard from her before.

"I'm more than ready for you, Sasuke."

It would be a long night but there was no rush, wasn't there?

It would be even better if it would never end.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I really hope that wasn't bad. The next chapter will feature 'the act' (you know what I mean). After all, Shikamaru went through the trouble to give Sasuke a condom, so he might as well make good use of it (insert evil grin). Anyway, please review and tell me how this chapter went! Your opinions are very important to me. Follows and favorites are highly appreciated too! Thank you for reading and have a nice day, everyone!


	13. A Rival

Author's Note: Oh my goodness, your reviews make me so happy! And some of them are just hilarious. _Oromisa_ , your review made me laugh in public! Every single one of you is simply amazing. And every follow and favorite makes my day even better!

P.S. A guest reviewer asked why I didn't pair up Sai with Ino and Shikamaru with Temari. Well, let's just say I'm in love with the Shikamaru/Ino pairing (insert heart shaped eyes). Thanks for sharing your opinions!

Chapter 13: A Rival

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Sasuke, why do you have a condom with you?"

"It's a present from Shikamaru."

"What a considerate friend."

"Sakura, I really do not wish to have any images of Nara in my head right now."

The beautiful girl underneath me was laughing as I began positioning myself in front of her entrance. The atmosphere was carefree and loving, which felt perfect at that very moment.

I gently settled my forehead on Sakura's and looked into her deep green eyes. They were no signs of fear or regrets and that was what I needed to see before continuing.

"You can scratch my back if it hurts, Sakura."

Sakura giggled and rubbed her nose against mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down for a quick kiss on the lips. There was a sweet smile on her face as she nodded reassuringly.

I nodded back before slowly inserting the tip of my erected dick. I stopped when I saw Sakura wincing in pain and her fingernails began digging into my back.

"Are you alright? We can stop if it's too painful."

Sakura glared at me while slightly pouting. She pinched my back and it was my turn to groan in pain.

"Don't you dare stop. I will have you murdered if you do."

I chuckled lightly at Sakura's not-so-intimidating threat and kissed her on the forehead before pushing further into her wet cavern. And with a single thrust, I broke through her barrier and it made her almost scream in pain.

I kissed Sakura on her lips, trying to comfort her as tears began forming in her half opened eyes. One of my hands reached out to caress her cheek tenderly while the other stayed firm on her waist. I remained still, patiently waiting for Sakura to get used to having me inside her.

Even though I was feeling indescribable pleasures as Sakura's tight walls squeezed my manhood, I wasn't going to do anything to hurt her.

I wasn't going to do anything that would bring more pain to the woman I love.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I knew it was going to be painful but this was much more than I had expected.

My tears were blurring my vision but Sasuke had wiped them away. I felt so loved being with Sasuke. He didn't rush things and was doing his best to comfort me. The way he kissed me and the way he would touch my skin showed that he was trying to wash away my pain.

Although having Sasuke inside was painful at first, it slowly transformed into pleasure. And it was a kind of pleasure I never felt before. It was full of love and affection.

I felt like he fitted into me perfectly.

I didn't stop my low moans from escaping when the pain had fully subsided. I pushed Sasuke towards me and he took it as a signal for him to continue.

Sasuke pulled himself out before thrusting into me soon afterwards. He continued doing so for a few more times and by then, my moans and Sasuke's groans were filling up the room.

"It feels so good, Sakura."

Sasuke's husky voice made me blush immediately. And the way his lustful eyes were fixated on my own brought shivers down my spine.

"Sasuke, you can go faster now."

I noticed that Sasuke had been holding back so that he wouldn't hurt me. But I didn't feel any of the pain from earlier so I knew it was alright for him to stop hesitating.

Sasuke held onto my waist as he began thrusting with more force. I felt rather ashamed listening to the sounds I was producing but I just couldn't stop myself. And the way Sasuke would call out my name in his aroused and hoarse voice was enough to bring me near my limit.

And when Sasuke touched a specific part inside me, an electrifying pleasure shot through my body.

Sasuke must have noticed my reaction when he had hit that particular spot and started thrusting harder onto it. When he brought one of his hands to stimulate my clitoris, I knew I was dangerously close to my orgasm.

My voice was caught in my throat and all I could manage was tightening my grip on Sasuke's bare back. The best I could bring out was stuttering Sasuke's name as I allow my body to be taken over by the immense pleasure.

"S-Sakura, I'm going to cum."

When I heard Sasuke's words, I felt my own climax crashing onto Sasuke's throbbing manhood. With one last groan, Sasuke fell closer to me, but avoided crushing my body. He placed his head on my shoulder and I could feel his hot breath tickling my neck. I pulled him for an embrace as we bask in our afterglow.

"We should do this more often."

I blushed furiously upon hearing Sasuke's words. I have to admit I enjoyed this highly intimate moment though and I definitely didn't mind doing it again. It was just embarrassing for Sasuke to say it so bluntly.

"We should." I spoke in a rather timid voice and I could feel heat radiating from my ears.

Sasuke pulled himself up and rested his forehead on mine. He kissed me lovingly on the lips and I could feel him smiling. When he broke the kiss, he was still smiling as he stared into my eyes.

"I love you, Sakura."

His words were filled with sincerity and his smile was enough to make me squeal. But rather than doing that, I placed a playful kiss on Sasuke's nose and responded wholeheartedly.

"I love you too, Sasuke."

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

To have Sakura in my arms as I drifted off to sleep was something that easily brought bliss to my life. Her softness and warmth soothed and comforted me.

I could get used to it.

When I woke up the next day, Sakura was still fast asleep. I glanced over at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost 8 AM. I slowly sat up on the bed and looked back at Sakura's sleeping form.

She appeared to be in peace and I almost didn't want to wake her up. So I decided to wake her up after I showered.

When I returned from the bathroom with a towel around my neck, I went back to the bed and saw that Sakura was still sleeping. I was only wearing my pants and had yet to put on my shirt.

I reached down to Sakura and removed her hair away from her face. I tugged it behind her ear before planting a kiss on her forehead. Sakura's eyebrows furrowed a little and she was slightly pouting. I placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered into her ear.

"Wake up, Sakura. You can continue sleeping if you want to be late though."

Sakura opened her eyes with great difficulty, as if her eyelids were very heavy. When she began to regain more consciousness, she looked towards me and smiled cheekily.

"Sasuke's naked body is the first thing my eyes caught sight of right after I wake up. I think I can get used to this."

I smirked at Sakura's 'half-asleep' words and ruffled her messy pink hair.

"I know you're enjoying the view, Sakura. But it's almost 8.30 AM so I need you out of the bed now."

Sakura pouted and pretended to be annoyed. She stretched herself before leaving the warm bed. I wasn't sure if she forgot her naked state or was simply very comfortable to be walking around with nothing on in front of me. Either way, I had witnessed a good 'show' in the morning.

And just like what Sakura said, I could get used to this as well.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

To avoid being caught, Sasuke and I left the room separately. We shared one more kiss before I headed over to the lobby first.

As I walked towards the lobby, I realized that my lower regions were rather sore from last night's 'activities'. I felt myself blushing at the thought and tried to snap myself out of it. But it wasn't long before I ended up smiling to myself foolishly.

Our first night together filled me with so much happiness that I thought I could burst.

I tried not to smile too widely because I wouldn't want Ino to be bombarding me with questions when she saw me. But then again, if I were to keep a poker face, she would still ask countless questions anyway.

I just arrived at the lobby for less than five seconds and Ino had already dragged me to a secluded corner. I sighed when I saw the look on her face. She was like a predator who had been impatiently waiting for her prey to arrive.

"What do you want from me, pig?"

Of course I knew what she wanted. It was way too obvious, after all.

"Did Sasuke use the present Shikamaru gave him last night?"

"That is an interesting way of asking me, pig. I didn't know you're the creative type of person."

"Oh my goodness. If you know what I'm talking about, it means you did _it_! Forehead lost her virginity."

"Can you keep it down, you stupid pig?"

Ino was holding back her squeal and I rolled my eyes at my hyperactive blonde friend. I was going back to where the others were since I wasn't intending to answer more questions from Ino. I didn't even want to imagine what sort of inquires she would hit me with.

I groaned in frustration when Ino grabbed onto my wrist.

"You must tell me details, Sakura!"

"I do not want to, Ino." I emphasized each word clearly, to show how much I didn't want to go into details. I would die of embarrassment!

"Come on! There's nothing to be shy of. I'm sure I had done whatever you did last night, anyway."

That was true. But that wasn't enough to convince me to tell Ino the whole story. I would rather embarrass myself by reading one of those perverted novels Kakashi-sensei loved so much.

I released myself from Ino's grip and ran towards Tenten and Hinata. I heard Ino shouting at me to go back but I completely ignored her. There was no way Ino could persuade me into doing what she wanted me to do.

When it was already 9 AM, we were told to gather with our respective groups. I waved goodbye to my friends and went to look for Sasuke and Naruto. It really wasn't difficult to locate Sasuke. All you had to do was to find a bunch of girls squealing annoyingly.

And you would find Sasuke there.

I was quite used to seeing girls surrounding Sasuke. There wasn't anything for me to get jealous of. However, I would still get slightly annoyed when I caught girls touching him or grabbing onto his arm.

It just pissed me off.

When Kakashi-sensei finally arrived, he managed to control the situation and asked the girls to stop causing commotions. When the crowds had scattered, I could finally see Sasuke and a very disturbed Naruto beside him. I guessed Naruto was not used to having his eardrums injured by screaming girls. From the distance, I saw Naruto glaring at Sasuke and I was quite sure as to what he was saying.

He must be scolding Sasuke for putting him through one of his fan girls' outbreak. Sasuke couldn't be blamed though but Naruto had nobody else to scold.

I walked over to the two of them when I saw Naruto waving at me. The three of us got onto the bus and sat together.

When everyone was already inside and the bus started to move, Kakashi-sensei used a microphone to make some announcement.

"We'll be having breakfast at a nearby restaurant before heading over to the Hakone Open-Air Museum. Afterwards, we will also visit the Pola Museum of Art and the Hakone Ropeway. In between the trips to the museum, we will be having lunch. We will return to the resort for dinner and you'll be given free time for the rest of the night. Feel free to relax in the hot springs. That is all."

I sat by the window and was staring through it for the entire ride. The plan for the day sounded decent but what I was most excited for was the hot springs. I actually wanted to go relax in the hot springs on the first night but that didn't happen.

Something more interesting came along and I totally forgot about my initial plan.

But I wasn't going to leave Hakone without getting into the hot springs at least once.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

" _He has been staring at her from time to time."_

I noticed how Sai would look at Sakura from a distance once in a while. Although the sight of him doing so irked me, I could see he didn't mean harm. He was just looking blankly and I hated how I couldn't read his mind.

When we arrived at the Pola Museum of Art, I decided to go have a talk with Sai. I wanted to know what he was planning to do. And if he really had the slightest intention of taking Sakura away from me, I was going to make him gave it up.

I excused myself from Sakura and Naruto by lying that I was going to the restroom. I walked around and tried to spot Sai while trying to avoid bringing attention to myself. It took me some time before I managed to find Sai, who was fully engrossed on one of the art works on the walls.

From what I had heard from my manager, Sai's parents were both artists. Sai practiced drawing and painting since he was really young. His parents wanted him to be a successful artist like them but he had his own dreams.

And that was why he left his hometown and came to Tokyo to pursue an acting career.

Although I disliked him to a considerable extent, that part of him was rather admirable.

I looked around to see if anyone else was present and was glad to see that we were at a rather deserted area. Sai must have chosen that place to avoid his persistent fans.

I walked over to Sai and stood beside him. He seemed slightly startled when he noticed my presence. I glance over to him and was met with an expressionless face.

At least he wasn't giving me one of his fake smiles which I had grown to despise.

"Is there anything you need from me, Sasuke?"

"Why did you move to this school?"

Even though I had overheard him saying that he moved because of Sakura, I needed to hear it for myself.

There were a few moments of silence before Sai spoke.

"Are you worried that I will snatch Sakura away from you?"

"Stay away from her." My tone was stern and I began glaring at Sai. And as usual, he was not affected at all and remained composed.

He went back to staring at the art work in front of him and I heard a soft sigh under his breath.

"I admit that I find her rather interesting. But I am not the type of person to destroy other people's relationship. I'm not that low."

What?

"Then why did you say that you moved to this school because of her?"

"Because I want to be her friend."

"Sai, are you serious?"

"Why would I lie?"

"But I caught you staring at her once in a while. What is that about?"

"I didn't know it's a crime to look at a pretty girl, Sasuke."

I had never been so speechless in my entire life. I wasn't even sure if I should take Sai seriously. But now that I thought about it, Sai never said anything about having feelings for Sakura.

Was I thinking too much?

"But you're always showing signs that you are interested in her in a romantic way."

"I don't understand what you are trying to say, Sasuke."

Hang on, why was Sai acting like a socially incapable person?

"Sai, do you have any friends?"

Sai finally turned towards me and was crooking his head in confusion. He seemed to be in deep thoughts before he responded.

"Does my manager count as a friend?"

"I doubt so."

"Then I guess I never have any friend."

I knew it. He was socially inexperienced. No wonder he ended up making people misunderstand his intentions. I should have noticed this sooner. I should have talked to him before jumping to conclusions.

And to think I had hurt Sakura over this.

I guessed I was blinded by jealousy to think straight.

"So you just want to be friends with Sakura?" I just had to ask one more time just for confirmation purposes. I wasn't able to completely believe that I had caused myself to be stuck in such a big misunderstanding.

But I was sure Sakura would be shocked if she knew about this. Sai's words could easily make a girl thought that he was interested in them in a romantic way. His words and actions were so misleading.

Hang on, was Sai being bloody serious? That was why I disliked this guy. He was annoying and he had given me headaches.

"Yes. It's as simple as that, Sasuke."

I stared at Sai to look for evidences to prove whether he was being serious or not. His eyes were reflecting the same sincerity like the time he told Sakura that he was interested in her and wanted to be her friend.

Yes, Sai was dead serious.

I felt like I had become a bigger idiot than Naruto Uzumaki.

"I have one last question. Why are you interested in befriending Sakura?"

I was almost caught off guard when Sai suddenly smiled a little. It was the kind of smile he showed Sakura whenever he was around her.

"She isn't like those loud and annoying fan girls. And even after she found out who I am, she continued being herself. Also, she is really pretty."

I felt like a huge rock was lifted from my heart but at the same time, my pride was shattered. It was an indescribable and rather contradicting feeling.

Sasuke Uchiha had allowed a socially handicapped teenager to mess up his mind, what a great achievement.

I was furrowing my eyebrows as I started to walk away. But I stopped halfway and turned around to say a few more words to Sai.

"I'll believe your words. But I won't let you off if you will one day try to get Sakura away from me."

Sai was looking at me as if I had grown a second head or something.

"Sasuke, let me give you an advice. Don't let jealousy confuse your mind."

"I don't need you to tell me that."

" _I had firsthand experience on that because of you."_ That was the thought I had in mind which I would never voice out. The embarrassment I felt could last me a lifetime.

"And I have an advice for you, Sai."

"What?"

"Go make friends."

That was what he needed to do before another 'victim' like me would suffer.

And he needed to do so for himself as well. Although he might need to work on that attitude of his if he actually wanted to make friends. He also needed to control how extremely straightforward he was.

If he fixed those, I might even consider changing how I thought of him.

"Do you want to be my friend then, Sasuke?"

I was frozen on my tracks when I heard Sai's question. Was he out of his mind?

I turned my head over my shoulder to see what sort of expression Sai had on his face. I wasn't sure how to react towards Sai when he appeared to be serious.

I just didn't understand that being.

"I thought you hate me." That was my honest respond. After all, he always gave me those disturbing fake smiles.

"I find you annoying and arrogant. But I never said I hate you. You're the one who is always looking like you want to kill me."

"Speak for yourself. You're annoying and arrogant as well. And you're the one who is always giving me those infuriating fake smiles."

"Sasuke, I don't think a normal person can smile sincerely when the opposite person is glaring intensely at him."

I was completely speechless and could only stare at Sai. When I gave it more thoughts, I was the one who started glaring at him before he even gave me those fake smiles of his. Why did I even act that way? Must be because Sai and I were always compared to each other and it pissed me off. And it wasn't even Sai's fault to begin with.

You made a big fool out of yourself, Sasuke Uchiha.

It looked like I needed to work on controlling my emotions in order to become a more professional person.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Sai spoke again.

"Is it impossible for us to forge a friendship, Sasuke?"

I gave myself a few moments to think of what to answer. Although we didn't have good first impressions of each other and I had even gone through a major misunderstanding, Sai was right when he said having a friend is better than having an enemy. Moreover, having a foe who worked in the showbiz as well was never a good thing.

However, having a rival was another thing. That was something I wouldn't mind at all.

I found myself smirking at my own thoughts and Sai was blinking in confusion. I guessed he was still not completely used to interacting with me without my constant glares.

"I think it's possible if you will become less irritating."

I turned around and walked away. While I was on my way to look for Sakura and Naruto, I could feel certain anticipation inside me.

To think there would come a day I would be looking forward to becoming friends with Sai. I finally understood what people meant when they said life was unpredictable.

And having a rival was much better than having an arch enemy.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I hope that wasn't too bad. Please review and share with me your thoughts regarding this fanfic! I love reviews (insert happy grin). And Sasuke and Sakura will be staying together for another night. If you're curious as to what will happen on their last night of their field trip, make sure you come back and read the next chapters. Follows and favorites are much loved as well! Thank you for reading and see you next time!


	14. Aggressive Gentleness

Author's Note: All the reviews, suggestions follows and favorites are making me super duper happy! And I'm really sorry if I had made readers uncomfortable with some words I used. I will keep all suggestions in mind!

Chapter 14: Aggressive Gentleness

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"Is Sai really _that_ socially incapable?"

Back in the Pola Museum of Art, Sasuke told me about the little talk he had with Sai. To say that I was shocked was definitely an understatement. After all the blushing and confusion he had caused me, it all turned out to be a major misunderstanding.

I felt so stupid that I could bang my head against the wall in shame.

And when it was just Ino, Tenten, Hinata and I inside one of the hot springs of the inn, I decided to tell them what Sasuke told me.

Of course, Ino didn't stop herself from voicing out her disbelief.

Tenten was laughing her heart out while Hinata was giggling. All I could do was sighing in annoyance.

"I can't believe a popular actor like him could be such a dunce." Tenten roared in laughter after she said that.

"Well, at least now we know that Sai isn't a threat to Sasuke and Sakura's relationship." Hinata had a wide smile on her face as she spoke. I smiled back at her and nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of relationship, how did it go last night, Sakura?" Ino was smirking at me as she nudged my arm. My face began to heat up and I wasn't sure if it was due to Ino's words or the warm water around us.

Well, it was most probably because of Ino.

"Did something happen last night?" Tenten rushed over to Ino and me, looking as excited as always.

"I exchanged rooms with Sasuke last night." Ino said casually, as if it was something normal to do.

"Does that mean Sakura slept with Sasuke last night?" I gawked at how direct Hinata was.

Three pairs of eyes were staring at me intensely and I felt myself sliding downwards. I quickly sat up when I felt water entering my nose.

"We want to know how it went, forehead."

I groaned in defeat as I allowed myself to enter another one of my friends' persuasive 'interrogation'.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"A simple 'thank you' will suffice, Sasuke. I don't need a speech."

"I'm not even planning to say anything, Nara."

"Did something happen? I want to know!" Shikamaru and I snapped our heads to the sudden intruders. It was just the two of us in one of the hot springs until Naruto, Neji and Kiba appeared out of nowhere.

"Nothing happened." I answered in a straightforward tone, not wanting the conversation to continue. But Shikamaru was thinking otherwise.

"Nothing much happened, just Sasuke finally losing his virginity."

There was a silence following Shikamaru's words.

I swore I had the urge to drown myself at that very moment.

"For real?!" Naruto's voice was so loud that I had to remind him to keep his voice down. I couldn't risk having other people listening to our conversation.

"Spill it out, Sasuke. Entertain us with the details." Kiba was laughing so hard he was clutching onto his stomach for support.

I closed my eyes and pretended that I did not hear anything. Of course, I wasn't that naïve to think that it would make my friends drop the topic.

I opened my eyes and cursed under my breath when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was met with a smirking Neji who was staring at me intently with his white eyes.

"You're not leaving until you talk."

I really just wanted to drown myself by then.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I managed to escape from my friends before they forced me into telling them even more embarrassing details. I could hear Ino calling out my name as I ran back to my room. I hastily opened the door and locked it behind me.

When I knew that I was already safe, I let out a sigh of relief. I would just deal with Ino and the others some other time. What I needed was a good night rest.

At least, that was what I thought at first.

I yelped when I felt a pair of strong arms hugging me from behind. I caught a glimpse of raven hair and knew who my 'attacker' was. And the warmth I felt was way too familiar.

I let out another cry of surprise when I was suddenly turned around. Before I could say anything, Sasuke crashed his lips onto mine. At that moment, I wondered how a person could be so aggressive and gentle at the same time. His kiss was filled with burning passion and yet, our contact felt so tender.

I found myself giggling when Sasuke pulled away. I rested my forehead on his and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"What a nice way to welcome me back."

Sasuke smirked at my words and placed a quick kiss on my nose.

"Glad you like it."

I squealed when Sasuke carried me in bridal style and placed me on the bed. He nuzzled my nose with his playfully before helping me to settle against the headrest. I placed my arms around his waist and laid my head on his chest. I could vaguely hear his heartbeat and somehow, the sound made me feel comfortable.

We stayed that way for quite some time, just taking in each other's warmth. Just being able to be in his arms without any words spoken was enough to fill me with joy. Sasuke was the one who decided to break the silence though.

"We'll be having finals in a month, right?"

"Yes. Are you going to ask me to help you with your review again?" I pulled back a little to look at Sasuke, who was putting on a small smirk.

"Maybe I will if you don't mind."

Of course I didn't mind. Sasuke had been busy lately and helping him with his review was a way for me to support him.

"I just received a message from my manager earlier. He said that we'll be done with the first season of the TV drama by the end of next month if we resume filming on Monday."

"Does that mean you'll be rather free during summer holiday?"

Once we finished with our finals, we would be having summer holiday for two months. If Sasuke had not mentioned about the finals, I wouldn't have thought of it.

"Yes. Fortunately for me, I will be having a lot of free time during summer holiday. I finished recording the new album as well. I guess I will only have minor jobs during those two months."

I shrieked with excitement and hugged Sasuke tighter. I loosened my grip when I heard Sasuke complaining that he couldn't breathe. I was too happy to know that I could spend more time with Sasuke during the holidays.

I started thinking of places we should go or things we should do. Sasuke needed his 'magnificent' disguise though but it should be fine. I was thinking we could go for a picnic or watch a movie at the cinema.

But Sasuke's suggestion was very far from what I was imagining.

"I was thinking of going on an overseas trip with you. We can go to places where I am not known so I don't have to go around in that awful disguise."

What?

"Sasuke." I removed my hands from Sasuke's waist and brought my face closer to his. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, as if trying to see if he was joking or being serious. "Did you just say 'overseas trip'."

"Yes, I am sure that is what I said." Sasuke answered matter-of-factly.

I blinked my eyes several times. I still found it hard to believe that Sasuke was thinking of going overseas with me during the holidays. That was definitely something I had never thought of.

Sasuke noticed my odd expressions and raised an eyebrow at me.

"You don't want to go overseas, Sakura?"

"I do!" I covered my mouth when I realized that I was louder than necessary. Sasuke chuckled at my reaction and I felt my face heating up a little. "I am just surprised, that's all."

"Glad you agreed to it then."

"Where and when are we going? Oh, and for how long will we be there?" Sasuke pinched my cheek when I bombarded him with questions. I winced in pain and slapped his hand away. I frowned at Sasuke but ended up earning a smirk from him.

"I don't know yet. Let's discuss it while reviewing for finals. There's something else I want to do right now."

"What is it?" I gave Sasuke a questioning look when I noticed the mischievousness reflecting from his dark eyes.

"You see, Shikamaru gave me more _presents_. And I don't want to let his _kindness_ go down the drain."

My face flushed immediately and I turned away from Sasuke in an instant.

It seemed like my good night rest had to wait.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"S-Sasuke, it tickles."

I continued licking Sakura's soaking womanhood despite her protests. After all, her body and words were contradicting. The way she writhed on the bed showed that she was enjoying what I was giving her.

Sakura's moans became uncontrollable when I started trusting my tongue inside her. The sounds she was making served as encouragement, making me go even faster. I brought her to her limit when I played with her clit as I pleasured her with my tongue.

"Sasuke!"

I loved the way Sakura screamed my name as she came on my mouth. I licked her juices from her slightly throbbing womanhood before moving upwards to face her. I placed my hands on either side of her head and watched her pant. Her body was covered in a thin layer of sweat and it made her even more alluring.

When Sakura finally caught her breath again, she suddenly sat up and pushed me onto the bed. I rested my head on the pillow and felt even more aroused when Sakura's wetness was touching my abdomen.

I watched her reach for Shikamaru's 'thoughtful'present on the night stand and ripped the wrapper. The way she used her teeth to do so was simply enticing. I groaned slightly when I felt Sakura's hands touching my erection as she helped me put on the condom.

My mind was clouded by lust to think straight. I wasn't sure what Sakura planned to do but I allowed her to have her way. Whatever she was going to do, I was sure I would like it anyway.

Sakura gave me a trail of sensual kisses, from my jaws all the way down to my abdomen. And the way she would purposely allow our bodies to come in contact once in a while sent waves of pleasure throughout my body.

And without much warning, Sakura positioned herself on top of my throbbing manhood and inserted it inside her tight cavern. She moaned at the sudden intimacy and grabbed onto my hips for support. I gripped onto the sheets tightly as I groaned at the sensation I felt as Sakura's walls clenched my hard dick.

The pleasure I felt increased immensely when Sakura began moving up and down on my manhood. And watching Sakura's breasts heaving made everything even more enjoyable.

"Sasuke, it feels so good." Sakura's hoarse voice combined with her lustful eyes was enough to bring me towards my climax. But I wasn't going to cum until Sakura was satisfied.

I reached my hands upwards and fondled Sakura's breasts. She moaned louder, proving that she was becoming even more aroused.

"You're so beautiful, Sakura. And you feel so good."

I saw Sakura's face reddening at my words and I couldn't get enough of her expressions. She was consumed by lust and the sight of that made my dick throb continuously.

When Sakura increased her pace and I could feel her walls tightening on me, I knew she was close.

"S-Sasuke. I don't think I can get enough of your big dick. Y-You make me feel so good."

"Sakura." I moaned her name as I felt my own climax approaching.

"I'm going to cum, Sasuke!" With that said, Sakura let out another loud moan before reaching her orgasm. I groaned as I released my load as well. Sakura collapse onto me, her breasts pressed onto my chest and her head resting on my shoulder.

We remained in silence as we panted for air. I wrapped my arms around Sakura's rather sticky body and kissed her on the cheek.

She brought her head up to give me a sweet smile. Her face was still flushed and I could feel her racing heartbeat. I tightened my embrace and whispered in her ear.

"We should definitely do this more often."

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

After the trip to Hakone, Sasuke became even busier than ever. He barely went to school and I would meet up with him in his apartment after he was done with work. It was the same with Sai. He was equally busy and was rarely at school too.

Speaking of Sai, I noticed that the rumors about the three of us died down drastically. It seemed that Sasuke and Sai's managers worked together to make people stop talking about it. I honestly had no idea what they did but it was amazing how they managed to do so. If I remembered correctly, Sasuke mentioned that Sai's manager was named Yamato.

And he was as capable as Orochimaru in terms of being a manager.

I thought of another reason why the rumors ceased faster than I had expected. After Sasuke cleared his misunderstanding with Sai back in our field trip, the improvement in their relationship was apparent. The people around them, including those from our school, must have noticed it too. Seeing the two of them slowly becoming friends must have somehow made people conclude that the whole rumor was just a misunderstanding.

Well, it was just my observation but it somewhat made sense.

Whenever I visited them at the filming sites, I would sometimes see Sasuke glaring at Sai. But it didn't have the same intimidation like before. It was just harmless irritation. After all, Sai was still the clueless yet straightforward person he was.

As for me, after I learned the truth behind Sai's weird actions, I was friendlier towards him. Although his insensitive words would still annoy me from time to time, I was still willing to be his friend. He still had to work on his social skills though.

But I was sure he would do just fine.

Unfortunately, the circumstances didn't allow me to visit them often when they were working. Although no pictures of me were released on the internet, a very detailed description of me was posted online. And there weren't many people with pink hair around. I had fitted the description perfectly and Sasuke and Sai's fan girls seemed to 'recognize' me.

At first I tried to act like I wasn't affected but I stopped doing so when it became unbearable. Sasuke successfully persuaded me that it was safer for us to meet in his apartment instead. And he was worried that someone might try to harm me, just like how one of his fan girls tried to push me into the lake back at Hakone.

I was reluctant but agreed at the end. I didn't want to worry Sasuke and ended up distracting him from his work. And my annoyance was washed away by our 'alone time' back at his apartment.

That was how I managed to become the patient girlfriend I was.

After what felt like an eternity, Sasuke finally finished filming the first season of the TV drama. There was exactly a week left from finals and we were given the whole week as study break. We didn't have to go to school for the entire week and were allowed to review on our own.

Sasuke moved back to his house since he would be rather free from then on. I was over at his house on Monday afternoon to start reviewing for the finals. We were inside his room working on some tutorial questions when Sasuke suddenly brought up a topic I had been anticipating.

"Sakura, is it alright if we go on our trip on the second week of summer holiday? I have a photo shoot for a magazine on the first week."

"Of course!" I had been waiting for this discussion for a long time. And I definitely didn't see a problem about us going on the second week. That meant I could use the first week to go shopping and all that.

"Great. I already thought of some places we can go and I'm planning to discuss it with you. I want to hear your opinions as well."

Did Sasuke say 'places'? I controlled myself and tried my best not to squeal in excitement. I didn't expect we would go to more than one place. But Sasuke would be free and free time was rare for Sasuke. He must have wanted to make good use of the rare time he had and travel to more places.

I was thinking of some places close by. We could travel around South Korea or the Philippines. I had been to both countries and I loved them a whole lot. I definitely didn't mind going back for the second time with Sasuke. I even thought that we could go to Taiwan or Hong Kong. I had been there as well but I had wanted to go back again. And if it was with Sasuke, I would love it even more.

But I had always dreamed of going on a tour to Europe with my significant other. The atmosphere would be absolutely romantic and we would hold hands as we walked around famous attractions. And the thought of kissing under the clear skies at some of the most romantic cities in the world could make me scream in happiness.

However, that dream was rather unrealistic and much too optimistic so I shrugged it off. It honestly didn't matter where we would go. It was the company that mattered, after all.

"So, where are you thinking of going?" I asked Sasuke as I fiddled with my pen. My eyes were fixated on Sasuke, who had not left his eyes from the exercises in front of him.

He continued working on the questions as he spoke in his usual expressionless tone.

"Europe."

I swore I froze instantly. The pen I was playing with fell onto the desk and I couldn't bring myself to move an inch. I felt like my mind was hit by a tornado as I stared at the awfully calm Sasuke, who was still focused on the work in front of him.

He sure was full of surprises and I must say I couldn't get enough of them.

* * *

Author's Note: Stay tune to the next chapters if you want to witness Sasuke and Sakura's holiday together! As usual, please leave a review. Feel free to give suggestions as well! Your opinions matter a lot to me. Keep the follows and favorites going as well. They make this author very happy! Thank you for reading and have a nice day, everyone!


	15. The Talk

Author's Note: I'm so happy to read the reviews! I will continue to do my best so that this fanfic can become better. Thanks for the follows and favorites as well!

Chapter 15: The Talk

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I was really thankful for Sakura's help on my studies when I was busy with filming. She would come over to my house whenever I was free and reviewed with me. It was almost like the time before we got together.

Finals went by smoothly and we were told that the results would be sent to our respective e-mails some time during the summer holiday. Sakura and I made another bet and the person with the lower score had to buy a present for the other.

Even though I scored higher than her during the midterms, I could see that Sakura was more confident this time round. It made me look forward to the day the results would be released.

On Friday evening, which was the day finals ended, Sakura and her parents came over to my house for dinner. Our parents wanted to talk to us about our Europe trip. They seemed to be excited about it even though they weren't the ones going. My mother literally screamed when I told her about it for the first time.

They were treating it as our honeymoon or something.

Not that I minded a honeymoon with Sakura but my mother could get overexcited sometimes. As for my father, he was as calm as usual. Sakura said her parents were openly, and loudly, expressing their joy. My brother, on the other hand, was giving me odd looks once in a while. Something was in that head of his and I hated the fact that I couldn't seem to read his mind.

But if it was indeed something important, he would tell me eventually.

At 6 PM, Sakura and her parents arrived and a butler went to escort them to the dining hall. Pleasant greetings were exchanged before everyone went to their seats. My father was sitting on his usual seat on the edge of the table with Kizashi-san on his left side. Mebuki-san sat beside Kizashi-san and my mother was beside her.

I sat in between Itachi, who sat beside my father, and Sakura. Casual chats filled the room as we ate dinner. For a moment, I almost forgot the real objection of the dinner itself. When everyone had finished their meals, it was my mother who reminded everyone about it.

"Oh my goodness, we should discuss about the trip! Are all the visas and necessary documents ready?"

"Yes." I nodded as I took a sip of water. Since Sakura and I had been busy with reviews, I asked Orochimaru to help me with the visa and other necessary preparations. Sakura and I were done with the itinerary as well. All that was left to do was packing.

"Where are you two going first?" Mebuki-san asked with apparent excitement in her eyes.

"Paris." When I answered, I could see my mother trying to contain her squeal. I mentally sighed and hoped the rest of the night would go smoothly. But somehow, I had an indescribable bad feeling inside me.

"Have you booked the hotel rooms?" My father asked before taking a sip from his glass of wine.

"Yes." I answered. Sakura and I decided on which hotels to stay in and booked it along with our plane tickets to Paris.

"Why don't you two use the Uchiha's private plane? It'll be convenient." I saw Sakura gawking upon hearing my father's suggestion. She quickly regained her composure to not embarrass herself though.

"It's alright, Fugaku-san." Sakura tried to sound as polite as possible as she rejected the offer. "We already book our plane tickets to Paris."

"And it will be fun to travel around with trains." I added while nodding. One of the reasons I chose Europe was because it had a sense of adventure in a way. Travelling with a private plan was indeed very convenient, but I knew it would be more memorable if we travelled 'normally'.

"Alright then. Feel free to contact me if you changed your mind though." My father spoke of sending a private jet to another continent as if it was as easy as sending an email. I was sort of used to it but Sakura seemed rather taken aback.

The conversation ended when my mother stood from her seat while pulling Mebuki-san along with her. She turned her head over her shoulder, beckoning to Sakura.

"I made some dessert. Come over and take a look, Sakura!"

Sakura dashed over to her mother and mine, looking like an enthusiastic child.

My father and Kizashi-san decided to continue their conversation at the living room, leaving only me and my suspicious looking older brother. He definitely had something in that mind of his.

Itachi was staring at me in the eyes and I showed him that I was feeling uncomfortable. Itachi smiled a little before he spoke.

"Can I have a word with you in my room, Sasuke?"

I had never been so curious as to know what was running in the head of that older brother of mine.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"Have you started packing, Sakura?" Mikoto-san asked as she opened the refrigerator to take out the pudding she made.

"I started but I'm barely done. I'm planning to do some shopping soon too." I answered as I walked over to the table where the pudding was placed on.

"When Sasuke told me that the two of you are going on a trip to Europe, I couldn't contain my excitement! Fugaku said I acted as if I am the one going on the trip. But I'm just so happy for you and Sasuke!"

Mikoto-san looked as if she could burst in happiness and I smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Sasuke told me how his mother reacted when he told her about the trip for the first time. And I must say it was sort of expected.

My mother was laughing softly at the sight in front of her. She definitely noticed that I was feeling uncomfortable, so she placed a hand on Mikoto-san's shoulder to calm her down.

Mikoto-san smiled apologetically at me and it made me giggle instead. At that moment, I believed that I could one day get used to Mikoto-san's overwhelming personality. She was a really nice and friendly person after all.

All the awkwardness I felt was gone in an instant when Mikoto-san talked about the dessert instead. I joined in the conversation and we shared a few good laughters.

I could definitely get used to being around Mikoto-san and that was for sure.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"What is it, Nii-san?"

I went straight to the point right after Itachi closed the door behind him. When he stayed silent for a while, I could feel nervousness starting to surface inside me. And I didn't like that.

My nervousness was replaced by confusion when Itachi began to speak.

"I know that you're a responsible and smart person, Sasuke. I am sure that you understand what must be done to prevent unwanted consequences. You know that some things aren't meant to happen to you when you're still young, right? I am fully aware of the wants or _needs_ of a teenager. I am only a few years older than you, after all. However, I-"

"Nii-san." My older brother was talking in an unusually fast, yet calm, pace but I managed to catch his words. I had to interrupt him because I had an idea as to what he was planning to say. But I had to make sure I didn't misunderstand his intention. "Are you giving me the _talk_?"

Silence consumed the two of us once again and it felt worse this time round. I could hear the thumping of my heart against my chest, which proved that I was indeed feeling rather tense. I had never imagined that such a conversation would occur between Itachi and me.

It was beyond weird and I really wanted to escape. But I knew there was no way out of it.

"Yes."

Itachi's straightforwardness made me flinch. I stared at him in disbelief and pure shock.

What had I done to be placed in that situation?

"Why?" My voice trailed off as I continued staring at Itachi as if he had grown a third eye.

"Father and I discussed about this. We think that it is time for _this_. Father admits it is too awkward for him to start this conversation so asked me to do it instead. And I feel like I am still too young to become an uncle."

I narrowed my eyes at Itachi and I could feel my ears heating up a little. To find out that my father and older brother talked about my sexual life behind my back was absolutely disturbing.

"I know what I am doing." I answered in a hasty manner, showing that older brother of mine that I wanted to drop the topic immediately.

Unfortunately for me, Itachi wasn't done with his little _talk_.

"Sasuke, I know that you're smart and I am sure you understand the necessary _precaution_. But as your older brother, and a representative of our father, I have the responsibility to tell you everything you needed to know."

I really wanted to just disappear and escape this conversation. Wasn't Itachi feeling embarrassed at all?

"Nii-san, I'm sure you're uncomfortable about having to indulge yourself in this. Let's do ourselves a favor and drop the topic. I am fully aware of what you're about to say."

My brother raised an eyebrow at me and crooked his head in confusion.

"What are you talking about, Sasuke? I am more than willing to do this."

"Why?" My voice trailed off for the second time that night. Had my brother always been this weird?

"It's for the sake of my younger brother, after all." Itachi smiled a little before taking a step towards me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "And you're not going anywhere until I'm done talking, Sasuke."

I had a sudden urge to tell Itachi that I remembered taking _safety precaution_ back in the field trip but that would mean that he would know that Sakura and I had done _it_. Although it wasn't anything unusual and there was nothing to be ashamed of, it would make the whole situation even more awkward than it already was.

I rather had Itachi killed me instead.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

By the end of Friday night, I noticed that Sasuke had odd expressions on his face. He appeared to be paler as well and I thought he might be sick or something. But Sasuke simply shrugged it off when I asked him what was wrong.

He didn't seem to want to continue the conversation so I stopped probing. At least he wasn't sick. He would tell me one day if it was something of high importance.

On Saturday the next day, I met up with Ino, Tenten and Hinata in one of the big shopping malls around. We had lunch in one of the Japanese restaurants there before starting to shop.

"What do you need to buy, Sakura?" Hinata asked as I looked through several dresses.

"I'm going to buy a few dresses and a pair of new wedges." I found several dresses I wished to try and had placed them on my hands.

"What's the weather like in Europe right now?" Ino brought up the question slightly absent mindedly since she was putting most of her concentration on looking at dresses.

"It's also summer over there. The temperature varies among different cities though. But it is hot in general." I had checked the temperature of all the cities we were planning to go and found out that it would be humid.

"Are you bringing along a bikini?" Tenten peered into my face and asked. I had yet to consider that and only began thinking of it when Tenten brought it up. I wasn't sure if we would get the chance to go to the beach but bringing a bikini wouldn't bring harm anyway.

"I'm not sure." I answered honestly. And before I could say anything else, Ino had decided on our next destination.

"Let's go get you a new bikini after this!"

And I knew there was nothing I could do or say to change Ino's mind.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

Ever since that _faithful_ night with Itachi, I unconsciously began to avoid making any eye contact with him. That conversation he pulled me into had left me scarred for life.

I spent the entire weekend packing my clothes and other things I needed. I tried to push away the thought of bringing that _thing_ Itachi insisted I needed. To be honest, I knew I needed to bring _them_ along. But an intense awkwardness would jolt throughout my body whenever I was reminded of the talk I had with my brother.

Anyway, by the end of the day, I still had to bring them with me for the trip.

The first week of summer holiday had passed by in a blink of an eye. I spent most of the week working on the photo shoot which went smoothly. I only got to meet Sakura for a few times that week since she was rather busy herself too. She accompanied her parents on a business trip to South Korea for three days and two nights.

And just like that, the day we were leaving Japan had arrived.

No matter how much I told Itachi he didn't have to, he insisted on driving Sakura and I to the airport. I have yet to get rid of every single fragment of awkwardness inside me and being in close proximity with Itachi wasn't an ideal thing to do.

Sakura seemed rather surprised to see that it was Itachi who was driving us to the airport but she managed to greet him properly nevertheless.

It was a midnight flight and we would be reaching Paris in the morning. And even though it was midnight, I knew better than to not use my disguise. Sakura preferred to call it my 'flawless' disguise, with an awfully sarcastic tone added to it.

And before Sakura and I left Itachi, he said something which definitely held more than one meaning.

"Stay _safe_."

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

There was something behind Itachi's eyes when he said his parting words. And the way Sasuke's eyebrow twitched upon hearing his brother's words made things even more suspicious.

When we had passed through the departure gate, my curiosity got the better of me and I just had to ask.

"Sasuke, did something happen between you and Itachi?"

Sasuke pretended that he didn't hear me, which was impossible because I was walking only a few centimeters away from him. I narrowed my eyes in annoyance when he continued to stay quiet.

"Spill it out." I no longer asked properly and practically demanded Sasuke to speak. I heard him mumble something incoherent under his breath before he finally surrendered and told me what happened.

"Itachi gave me the _talk_."

Silence took over the atmosphere around us and I abruptly stopped in my tracks. Sasuke did the same when he noticed that I wasn't walking beside him.

Sasuke was about to speak but I had interrupted him with a roaring laughter. I tried to contain it because I didn't want to attract too much attention to us. But there was barely anyone around and Sasuke had just told me the funniest thing I had heard for a long time.

"Stop laughing, Sakura." Sasuke's voice had a hint of danger in it but it didn't stop me from laughing my heart out.

"S-Sorry." I managed to breath out that word in between my laughter. "But it's so funny!"

Sasuke grunted in displeasure before pushing me towards our boarding gate in a hurry.

"I don't to risk having people recognizing me. So keep quiet and hurry up into the plane."

I placed my hands over my mouth, putting effort to shut myself up. But seeing Sasuke's annoyed expression made me want to laugh even louder. I was sure the whole conversation with Itachi must have horrified him a whole lot. Now that I discovered the truth, I understood why Sasuke seemed so upset whenever he was around Itachi as of late.

It was definitely a good way to start off our trip.

* * *

 **Itachi's POV**

I didn't expect my father would still be awake when I got back home from the airport. I sat on the sofa beside my father, who was watching TV in the living room.

"Why aren't you asleep yet, father?"

"No particular reason. I just couldn't seem to fall asleep."

I nodded with a small smile on my face. I was about to excuse myself and return to my room when my father suddenly spoke again.

"Itachi, have you spoken to Sasuke?"

Even though my father's words were vague, I had a clear idea as to what he was referring to.

"Yes, I did." I decided not to mention about how reluctant Sasuke was and refused to be cooperative. At the end, I managed to force him to stay and listened until I was finished.

Sasuke became very uncomfortable around me ever since that night but I was sure he would get over it soon. My younger brother wasn't the type of person to dwell on such things for too long. He could definitely do better than that.

"I hope he took in your words well then." My father said and took a sip of water. I was aware that my father had been worried about _this_ ever since Sasuke and Sakura started dating. But he didn't know how to approach Sasuke to talk about it.

And if father was the one who spoke to Sasuke, I guaranteed that Sasuke might be fatally scarred for life. For the well-being of both Sasuke and our father, I volunteered to givethe _talk_.

"I am sure he did." I reassured my father before excusing myself.

It was to be expected from that foolish brother of mine, after all.

* * *

Author's Note: As usual, please leave a review on your way out! Reviews will make this author super duper happy (insert overexcited grin). Follows and favorites are highly appreciated as well so keep those up as well. Thank you for reading and have a nice day!


	16. City of Love

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reviews, follows and favorites, everyone! I really appreciate it a lot. Your support means so much to me!

P.S. I would like to thank Google for helping me come up with the itinerary for Sasuke and Sakura's trip. I couldn't have done it without you.

Chapter 16: City of Love

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"Do you really believe in this sort of stuff, Sakura?"

"Come on, Sasuke. It won't kill you."

After checking in at the hotel, putting our things our room and having a meal at a nearby restaurant, we went straight to the famous love lock bridge, Pont des Arts. Sasuke was against the idea at first but I managed to persuade him. And, not surprisingly, he found the idea of 'love locking' ridiculous.

"How in the world does a padlock symbolize unbreakable love?"

I rolled my eyes at Sasuke's question. This guy could sometimes be too 'logical' to embrace normal couple stuffs. I placed my hands on either side of my hip and narrowed my eyes at my unromantic boyfriend.

"If you still have questions about this whole thing, you may check Wikipedia and read about it."

I pouted in annoyance when Sasuke actually reached for his phone and searched for the Wikipedia page on love lock. He took a minute to finish reading before putting his phone back into his pocket.

"Love lock has an interesting history. I don't mind doing it."

I stared at Sasuke in disbelief and groaned in frustration. It was to be expected from Sasuke though. He just wasn't the type to do something unless he had understood everything about it.

Sasuke effortlessly removed the frown on my face by giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. A small shade of pink appeared on the spot where he left a feathery kiss and I turned away to hide it from him.

He took the padlock from me and wrote our initials with the pen I brought along. I smiled widely when Sasuke threw the key into River Seine. I attacked him with a huge hug and he simply stared at me as if I was some sort of odd ball.

After leaving Pont des Arts, we proceeded to some of Paris' famous landmarks. Needless to say, we visited the Eiffel Tower. How could one go to Paris and not go to Eiffel Tower, right?

And through our photo taking sessions, I realized that Sasuke wasn't the type to smile in front of the camera. How in the world did he manage to do well in his photo shoots and all that?

"I have a question, Sasuke."

I decided to clear my doubts while we were on our way to Notre Dame de Paris. I asked what I wanted to know when Sasuke gave me the 'speak-up-your-mind' look.

"It seems that you don't enjoy smiling much when taking pictures. How do you usually act in front of the camera during your photo shoots for work?"

"I never smiled during a photo shoot at work."

I blinked continuously, trying to comprehend Sasuke's words. Before I spoke again, I quickly did a quick search on the internet on several shoots Sasuke had done for magazines. And in all the pictures, he didn't have a smile on. You couldn't blame me for not noticing this. I wasn't actively keeping up with showbiz, after all.

But he looked smoking hot and charming.

"You really don't smile in front of the camera, do you? But then again, you still look incredibly good looking so that isn't a problem at all."

Sasuke smirked and intertwined our hands together. The heat radiating between us made me feel comfortable and there was a certain bliss fluttering inside me. I was slightly startled when Sasuke suddenly stopped walking and brought his face closer to mine.

"What if I said my smile is only for you?"

Blood rushed to my cheeks immediately and I pinched Sasuke's cheek in reflex. He deserved it for saying such cheesy words. And when he was the one saying them, it made me feel so happy I didn't know how to act.

I chose to walk faster towards our destination before my heart burst out from the wild thumping it was going through.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

After visiting Notre Dame de Paris and Arc de Triomphe, Sakura suggested that we should go grab lunch. I told her that I knew a place we could go to and that was how I brought her to a little restaurant called Capucine, which was located at Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine.

I found out about this place through the internet, when I was searching for romantic places to have meals at. Of course, it was too embarrassing for me to tell Sakura that I had been researching on places like these.

There were tables outside of the restaurant and we chose to sit there. The weather was perfect and staying outdoors was a better choice.

After we placed our orders, Sakura rested her elbows on the table and placed her chin on her hands. She was looking around with apparent enthusiasm in her eyes. She then turned to me with a lovely smile.

"You know, this place reminds me of a particular scene in Lady and the Tramp. It's so romantic! How did you know this place, Sasuke?"

"I heard of it from a colleague of mine." I lied but I knew Sakura wasn't someone who was easy to fool.

"You talk to your colleagues? What a surprise. I thought you know this place through Google. You know, like typing on the search engine something like 'romantic places to have meals in Paris'."

Like I said, Sakura wasn't someone who was easy to fool. And she was too smart to allow herself to be lied to.

I cleared my throat as a way of telling Sakura I didn't want to continue the conversation. And the heat I felt on my cheeks proved that I was indeed blushing.

Sakura giggled at my state and I glared at her to stop. It just made her laugh even more.

Well, at least she seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Do you want to recreate that spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp?"

Sakura was obviously teasing me so I kept quiet and simply stared at her with a blank expression. I grunted in annoyance when it made her burst out in laughter instead.

"You're so cute, Sasuke."

"Don't call me _that_."

"You're adorable when you're glaring at me like that."

" _That_ word is even worse."

"Don't be angry, cutie patootie."

"And that is the worst thing you could ever use to call me."

By then, Sakura was already clutching onto her stomach in pain due to her uproar. If it weren't for the fact that Sakura looked really pretty while she was laughing heartily, I would've given her deadly glares.

However, that didn't change the fact that Sakura had sent an uncomfortable shiver down my spine by calling me with _those_ words.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

Our second day was spent in a rather 'classical' way. After we had our lunch, we went museum hopping. Well, we only visited two museums and I wasn't sure if that counted as 'museum hopping'. But we didn't exactly had time to visit many places anyway.

It wasn't known by many people but I enjoyed appreciating art work. It might sound boring to some people, but I didn't mind staring into a single masterpiece for a long time. As I took in the colors and details, I could somehow feel the true essence of the art piece.

Perhaps I didn't make much sense but the feeling was difficult to explain in the first place.

The first museum we went to was The Louvre, which was the world's largest museum. Sasuke had to hold onto my hand to make sure I was kept under control. He warned me not to squeal due to excessive excitement.

I gave him a kiss on the lips to assure him that I was perfectly calm and stable. It didn't convince him completely but at least he was no longer looking at me as if I needed to be tamed.

"Here's a fun fact for you, Sasuke. It is said that if you spend only 4 seconds at each object in The Louvre, it will take you 3 months to get through the whole museum."

There was a hint of horror in Sasuke's eyes when I randomly told him what I found out from the Internet. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me before speaking in an unusually low voice.

"Are you telling me you wish to spend the entire trip in this museum?"

I covered my mouth with a hand to contain a roaring laughter that was on the verge of escaping. Sasuke appeared so terrified and it was way too amusing.

"As much as I love art, that doesn't seem like an appealing plan to me."

The situation became even funnier when I saw Sasuke sighing in relief. I pulled him towards the first art work I saw as a distraction. If I were to stare at Sasuke's face for another second, I might break down into an uproar.

And that wasn't something one should do in a museum.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

Much to my surprise, Sakura didn't spend much time in that unbelievably huge museum. We still had time to visit another museum called Musée d'Orsay. Musée d'Orsay was close to the love lock bridge we went to on our first day and we also decided to have dinner around the area.

During dinner, Sakura did something rather unexpected.

She offered to feed me.

Perhaps it was due to the romantic atmosphere at Paris, giving Sakura all these ideas. I was hesitant at first but I didn't have much of a choice at the end because Sakura practically shoved the food inside my mouth.

So much for being romantic.

That was definitely a barbaric act.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

We strolled around aimlessly after dinner, just enjoying the moment under the night skies. We had our hands intertwined as we walked pass various streets and buildings. We stopped on our tracks when we caught sight of something interesting.

Along the Seine, tango music filled the atmosphere and there were many couples dancing to the beat. Some of them were obviously professionals while there were people who barely knew what they were doing. However, professional or not, everyone seemed to be having fun.

The music was so romantic and sensual, giving me goosebumps all over my body. Seeing everyone looking so happy made me want to join in as well. But it was impossible for Sasuke to want to do so.

At least that was what I thought so.

Sasuke pulled his hand away from mine and held it in front of me, the way a prince would do when he asked a princess for a dance. I gawked at Sasuke who was giving me a gentle smile as he leaned in to speak in a soft voice.

"Do I have the honor to dance with you?"

With someone like Sasuke, who was always full of surprises, how could I not fall in love over and over again?

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

" _If any of my friends saw me, they will tease me to no end."_

Even though the idea of dancing in public made me feel rather uncomfortable, the look Sakura had on her face made me decide on what I did. She was staring at the dancing couples with evident fascination in her eyes. The smile on her beautiful face proved that she wanted to join in the crowd.

As I spent more time with Sakura, the more I realized how addicted I was to her mesmerizing smiles. It would always trigger certain warmness inside me, making me smile back unconsciously. As we danced, Sakura was beaming happily and the way the moonlight shone on her face made her even more stunning than she already was.

The two of us were definitely not used to dancing. We were rather clumsy and there were times when we made awkward movements. But at that very moment, none of us cared if we were embarrassing ourselves. We simply laughed it off and continued having fun without any hesitation.

As the night went by, I held Sakura tighter in my arms. I would plant soft kisses on her face once in a while, which was my way of telling her that I was glad she was there with me. To be able to have her by my side in one of the most romantic places on Earth was something that brought immense joy to my life.

"I'm never going to let you go, Sakura."

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

To be honest, it was an honor to be able to witness different sides of Sasuke. Most of the time, Sasuke barely had any expressions on his face and his eyes were hard to read. But as time passed by, he started to show more feelings through his face and actions.

And to know that he was showing these to me made me very happy.

"Even if you want me out of your life, I don't think I'm planning to be cooperative."

Sasuke smirked at my words and I laughed in response. My laughter grew louder when I accidentally stepped onto Sasuke's feet, making him winced in pain. He lightly pinched my cheek while asking me to be more careful.

It was tiny actions such as this that made me feel loved. For someone who was almost deemed 'emotionally incapable' to be able to show feelings through small things was nearly impossible. But Sasuke did it and the feelings were for me.

Thoughts like these could easily bring me to tears but I didn't want to freak Sasuke out. Instead, I rested my head onto his chest and swayed along with the music.

We stayed that way for quite some time, just cherishing the precious moment at hand.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Do you want to shower with me, Sakura?"

My 'harmless' question earned me a smack on the face from the pillow Sakura threw at me. That was definitely a no to my question so I shrugged it off and went into the bathroom for a nice and warm bath.

I changed into a white shirt and grey sweatpants before leaving the bathroom. When I was back into the room, Sakura got off from the bed and went into the bathroom for her so called 'beauty bath'. I never heard of such a term but I didn't ask her about it since she didn't sound very serious in the first place.

I was flipping through channels as I waited for Sakura to be done with her 'beauty bath'. Overall, the room was cozy and well-furnished. A king sized bed was in the middle of the room and there was a large window on its left side. A plasma TV was fixed on the wall in front of the bed and there was a couch in front of the window.

It was more than what we needed for our short stay in Paris. After all, we were only staying for two nights before leaving for Barcelona, Spain.

I closed the TV when the bathroom door opened, revealing Sakura in a beige pajamas dress. When Sakura joined me on the bed, I said just had to say something to earn me another hit from the ferocious pink haired woman.

"Your 'beauty bath' will definitely be better if I were in it as well."

"Sasuke, if you keep this up, you will one day turn into a perverted old man like Kakashi-sensei."

My face twisted in disgust and horror at the mention of the infamous perverted Kakashi-sensei, who could shamelessly read porn in front of the class.

I glared at Sakura and blamed her for putting disturbing images of Kakashi in my head. She simply stuck out her tongue and pushed the blame back to me.

"It's your fault for being a pervert."

"You deserve a punishment for what you did, Sakura."

And without another words, I pulled Sakura closer to me, making her shriek into my ear. I stopped her from hurting my eardrums by crashing my lips onto hers. It didn't take long before her words and screams were drowned by our passionate kiss.

She wrapped her hands around my neck while mine was around her waist. Things heated up really quickly once our tongues took part in our interaction. I felt Sakura smiling against my lips when I rubbed her sides.

She pulled away from me and there was a playful glint in her eyes. I gave her a puzzled look, showing that I had no idea what she had in her mind.

And what she mentioned was something I had been trying to forget.

"I hope you remember your little _talk_ with your older brother, Sasuke."

"Please don't remind me of that, Sakura."

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

My mind was too clouded by lust and pleasure that I couldn't remember how I ended up in my current position. I was facing the wall behind the bed, with my hands gripping onto the headboard. I was on my knees and my ass was facing Sasuke.

And I was as naked as a newborn baby.

"This is embarrassing." I muttered between pants as Sasuke leaned in to lick my already soaked core. The sound produced made me blush so much I thought I could be permanently burnt in a way.

I could no longer speak coherent words when Sasuke began pumping in a finger inside me. He was doing so with intense force and speed, making me moan loudly in pleasure. He didn't hesitate to add more digits, thrusting continuously while rubbing my sensitive bundle of nerves.

I was about to complain when Sasuke suddenly removed his hands from my aching womanhood. I changed my mind when I felt something hard against my ass. I didn't have to be a genius to know what it was.

"Continue, Sasuke."

I was surprised at my own demanding tone. I turned my head towards the man behind me, who was smirking smugly at me. I glared at him for teasing me when he knew I was so close to my orgasm.

"It'll help if you asked politely, Sakura."

I narrowed my eyes dangerous at the equally naked Sasuke who was getting more arrogant by the second. When I felt a throb at my body's most private area, I knew I could no longer wait.

"Please, Sasuke."

My head snapped back to the wall when Sasuke pushed his hard dick into my wet cavern in a single forceful thrust. I could feel a slight pain but it was nothing compared to the incredible sensation I was feeling.

My whole body moved as Sasuke took me from behind. With each thrust, I could feel his abs hitting my ass. And it somehow aroused me even more.

My grip on the headboard became tighter as Sasuke became rougher, bringing me into a whole new level of pleasure.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

The view I had of Sakura as I took her from behind was simply breathtaking. One of my hands was holding onto her waist tightly, while the other was free to roam around.

I would give her firm ass a strong squeeze once in a while and it would make her moan even louder. And whenever I massaged her breast and pinched her erected nipple, she would tremble under my touch.

"S-Sasuke. It feels so good to have you inside me."

The way Sakura called out my name in her low and husky voice never failed to arouse me even more. It made me thrust deeper into her and from the way she cursed under her breath, I knew that I had found the right spot.

With a few more thrust at Sakura's sweet spot, her walls tightened around my throbbing dick and she moaned loudly as she reached her climax. The way Sakura squeezed my manhood brought indescribable pleasure throughout my body. It took another thrust before I reached my limit as well.

I pulled out of Sakura and panted for breath. I began to feel drowsy almost instantly and I knew I was going to collapse any time soon. But before I surrendered to my sleepiness, I turned Sakura around and pulled her in for an embrace.

A gentle kiss on the lips was definitely one of the best ways to end the night.

* * *

Author's Note: You know what to do guys! Leave a review and share with this author your opinions. Feel free to drop suggestions as well! Of course, follows and favorites are highly appreciated so keep those up as well. Thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter!


	17. A Little Secret

Author's Note: Thanks a whole lot for the reviews, follows and favorites! Keep it going, everyone.

Chapter 17: A Little Secret

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"You seem to be enjoying the _view_ a lot, Sasuke."

"Yes, I am. The beach is really nice."

"That is not what I mean, Uchiha."

We chose to spend our last day in Barcelona at a beach, which was a good thing because I got to wear the light pink bikini I bought with my friends back in Japan. However, I found it disturbing to have caught Sasuke's eyes wandering to places I wish he didn't.

"You've been staring at other girls since we arrived."

"I am not. You're imagining things, Sakura."

"Fine. I'll enjoy the uncountable number of naked male torso in this beach."

"Have fun."

Out of annoyance, I began laying punches on Sasuke's back and kicking his legs. And seeing how unaffected he was just frustrated me even more.

I yelped loudly when Sasuke suddenly carried me and walked towards the shore. It was even more astonishing when Sasuke literally threw me into the sea.

I quickly brought my head to the surface before I would gulp any seawater. I glared at Sasuke, who was staring at me as if he didn't do anything wrong. Thinking that it wasn't fair that I was the only one soaked from top the bottom, I decided to pull Sasuke into the water with me.

I laughed when I saw Sasuke accidentally taking a big gulp of seawater. He was coughing and panting, trying to catch his breath. I continued laughing heartily even when Sasuke was pinching my cheeks.

When I finally calmed down, I took in the sight of soaking wet Sasuke. His damp hair appeared to be shinning under the sunlight and there were water dripping from several strands. There were water running down from his shoulders to his abdomen, and it made him absolutely enticing.

And the way he would whip his hair in an attempt to dry them was definitely the killer move.

I should definitely go to the beach with Sasuke more often.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I swore I wasn't staring at other girls but Sakura refused to believe me. So I had to cool her down by throwing her into the sea.

And that was not a bad idea at all.

To see water falling into her cleavage as she stood was indeed a sight to behold. The way she ran her fingers through her hair to tidy them up was simply alluring. Furthermore, the fierce way she was frowning at me made her look sexy.

Why would I want to look at others if she was there with me?

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"You lost, Sasuke!"

Sasuke and I were strolling around Plaza de Espana on our last day in Seville when the two of us received an e-mail from our school regarding our final examination's grades. I squealed when I saw that I was ranked second. We only knew our own grade and rank, but it's obvious that Shikamaru was first. He always was.

And that meant I scored higher than Sasuke. I won the bet this time round.

"I'm in third place." Sasuke shrugged and placed his phone back into his pocket. He ruffled my hair and gave me a little smile. "Looks like I need to find you a present."

"It appears so." I flipped my hair in confidence, earning a smirk from Sasuke. He wrapped his arms around my waist and brought me closer to him. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead before speaking again.

"Let's go then." Sasuke intertwined his fingers with mine and led me to a shopping district. We walked around, passing a lot of lovely shops. I loved the antique looking buildings in Seville. It gave off some sort of historical atmosphere that I didn't get often back in Tokyo.

"Feel free to choose anything you like." Sasuke spoke with a smile that was so charming I could almost squeal. But I controlled myself as looked around instead.

I stopped walking when I laid my eyes on a particular shop named Juan Foronda. It was an elegant looking shop which was beautifully furnished. It was love at first sight and I pulled Sasuke along without a second thought.

I was attracted to the shawls they displayed. They were Spanish shawls of various colors and designs. I reached out to trace the embroidery of a beige shawl, taking in its beauty despite its simplicity.

"Someone seems to have chosen what she wants already." Sasuke had been staring at me, who was obviously fascinated by the shawl in front of her. I grinned happily before grabbing onto Sasuke's arm and nuzzling his shoulder.

Sasuke ruffled my hair again and reached for the shawl behind me. He placed it around me and took a step backwards to get a better look at me. He nodded soon afterwards and headed over to the cashier.

He came back to me to intertwine our hands before leaving the shop. Once we were outside, he kissed me on the cheek and whispered in my ear.

"You look beautiful."

A tingling sensation surfaced inside me and I ended up squeezing Sasuke's hand tightly.

Despite the slightly chilly evening breeze, I felt incredibly warm with Sasuke beside me.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"This place is amazing."

Sakura's voice trailed off as she looked around the insides of _Baños Arabes, which had Arabic-style baths. The whole place was simply historic, making every corner looked like it had a story to tell. The lights were dim, giving off a very romantic sensation. The tranquil atmosphere was enough to relax our bodies, releasing ourselves from any stress or tension._

 _We knew how popular Baños Arabes was, so we made an appointment a day prior to our visit. I also learned from the Internet that the place limited the number of guests, which explained why it was quiet and peaceful._

 _After spending half an hour relaxing in the luke warm pool, Sakura and I decided to go check out the rooftop Jacuzzi. Leaving the warmth of the pool and being exposed to open air sent shivers through our bodies. We were only on our swimwear so we were relying on each other's warmth to survive the walk._

 _Sakura literally squealed when we reached the rooftop Jacuzzi. I understood why she did so though. The Jacuzzi itself was magnificent but the skies above us made everything even better. There was a full moon that night and there were stars illuminating the darkness. There was classical music playing on the background and there was a unique fragrance in the air._

 _There was nobody else inside the Jacuzzi so Sakura made herself feel at home and dashed into it. I followed her in a much calmer way and I tried not to tease her for acting like an excited child._

 _Sakura sighed contently as she rested her head on my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and shifted a little to make her feel more comfortable._

"This feels so nice. I could stay here forever."

I chuckled slightly upon hearing Sakura's words and told her I felt otherwise.

"I agree that this place is great. But I'm leaving you behind if you intend to stay here for the rest of your life."

"You don't want to stay with me forever?" Sakura was whining and pouting like a spoilt child. I playfully poked her puffed cheeks, which made her drop her little act and laughed instead.

"Perhaps I want to stay with you forever."

"Is that a yes or a no?" Sakura narrowed her eyes at my vague answer and was forcing out a better respond.

"I guess it's a yes."

Sakura hugged me tightly, appearing very satisfied with my answer. I kissed her on the forehead, which made her giggle in a rather silly way.

She pulled away from me before kissing me tenderly on the lips.

"I want to stay with you forever too, Sasuke."

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

On our second day in Porto, Portugal, we decided to head over to Douro Valley for a day. We would also stay for a night there before leaving Portugal the next day.

Our main objective of visiting Douro Valley was for their infamous wine tasting tours. To be honest, I rarely drank alcoholic beverages because I had low tolerance. But I heard many good things about Douro Valley and their wines. And since I was already at Porto, I just couldn't miss the chance to experience a wine tasting tour.

As long as I didn't drink too much, I should be just fine.

We chose to join a tour at Quinta das Carvalhas, which was one of the largest vineyards around. What made this tour special was the fact that we could enjoy the splendid views of Douro Valley while sipping some wine. It was truly something worth joining.

We were overlooking the Douro River as we drank. For someone like me who wasn't a fan of alcoholic drinks, I found the wine really nice. It definitely didn't taste like anything I tried previously. After trying it for myself, I understood why it was so famous.

"Do you have a high alcohol tolerance, Sakura?"

"Not exactly high but I guess I have average tolerance. This should be alright." I gave Sasuke a reassuring smile, showing him that there was nothing to be worried about.

After all, the wine didn't have a very high alcohol percentage anyway.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

Right after the tour, Sakura and I went back to the hotel for a shower before having dinner at a restaurant serving local cuisine. We had wine with our meal as well. I must admit the wine in Douro Valley lived up to its name. The taste was one of a kind, something I never had before.

I have a pretty high alcohol tolerance so I didn't have to worry about getting drunk. I just hoped Sakura was telling the truth when she said that her alcohol tolerance was average. She was drinking quite a lot during dinner.

"Is it alright for you to drink so much?" I asked Sakura as I took a sip from my glass.

"It's fine. The wine here tastes so good. I should enjoy them while I am still here."

I didn't spot any tint of redness on Sakura's face so I assumed she was really alright. She appeared to be sober and was still the usual Sakura.

" _I should just believe her then."_

We chose to walk back to the hotel from the restaurant since it wasn't that far away. We walked in silence as both of us enjoyed the serene atmosphere surrounding us.

That was until Sakura suddenly blurted out in laughter.

I blinked in confusion as I watched Sakura laughing at me for no apparent reason. I was touching my face to check if there was something on it. When I found that there was nothing, I inquired Sakura about her weird behavior.

"Why are you laughing?"

Her laughter became louder as she tried to calm herself down. I was becoming more confused by the second but I patiently waited for Sakura to speak.

"No specific reason. I just find you cute. You're like an adorable little chicken."

Sakura was roaring in laughing as she pinched my cheeks. All the while, she couldn't stop saying how much I resembled a chicken.

I was beginning to wonder if I should feel insulted by her words.

" _Don't tell me she is drunk."_

I grabbed onto Sakura's shoulders to stop her from moving so much. It was dark so I wasn't able to notice how flushed her face was. She was losing her balance as well and she just couldn't stop laughing.

" _She is definitely drunk. I should take her back to the hotel room as soon as possible."_

I carried Sakura in bridal style as I quickened my pace towards the hotel. But that became difficult when Sakura started moving a lot.

"Where are you taking me, Sasuke? Are we going for a picnic?"

"No. We're going back to the hotel. And having picnic at night isn't really a good idea."

As we got nearer to the hotel, Sakura's words became even weirder. Somehow, she started talking about calculus and how eye opening it was. Seriously, who would think about mathematics during the holidays?

Then she would laugh at absolutely nothing. She would stare at a stone on the ground and laughed as if the stone had just told the world's funniest joke.

Things got even more out of control when she began pinching me here and there. I didn't mind when she pinched my arms and face. But I almost screamed when she pinched one of my nipples with great force.

When she saw that I was wincing in pain, she laughed even louder and was saying that I looked adorable. Out of all words, she just had to use _that_ to describe me.

I sighed in relief when we finally reached the room. It was a simple room with a queen sized bed in the middle. It was cozy and more than enough for the night. I laid Sakura on the bed and was going to get some change of clothes for her.

But Sakura yanked my sleeve and turned me around for a heated kiss. It was totally different from the usual way she would kiss. It was almost violent.

I pulled her away when I began feeling uncomfortable. Even though we were in a relationship, it still felt wrong to be doing things like _these_ when she was barely sober.

"Sasuke, have I ever told you how sexy you are?" Sakura's voice was hoarse and lust was reflecting from her deep green eyes. Her hands slipped under my shirt and I flinched at the sudden contact.

I gently pulled her hands away and placed them on her sides.

"I'll go get a change of clothes for you." With that said I quickly left the bed and went to take something for Sakura to change into.

After I found a beige pajama dress, I turned around to return to where Sakura was. I abruptly stopped when I saw the _situation_ on the bed. Sakura had taken off her clothes and was only in her black lacy lingerie.

Her lower body was covered by the duvet but I managed to get a glimpse of her flawless leg. My body was reacting at the sight in front of me but I pretended it wasn't there. I walked over to Sakura and handed her the pajama dress I got from her luggage.

She took it from me and placed it beside her before placing her hands around my neck. She was biting her lower lip and batting her eyelashes in a very seductive way.

"Do you want to know a secret, Sasuke?"

Sakura was giggling softly as she spoke and her face was getting redder. I wasn't sure if it was due to the effects of alcohol or she was feeling embarrassed though.

"Sure." I might as well engage in a conversation to distract myself from inappropriate thoughts.

"It's really embarrassing but I feel like telling you about it. Actually, I often fantasize about you doing really naughty things to me."

Unfortunately for me, the topic Sakura chose was not suitable as a distraction after all.

"Is that so?" I tried to sound indifferent but I knew my body was feeling the complete opposite.

Sakura had pulled me onto the bed and had pushed me against the headboard. She was straddling me and I groaned when her core touched my erected manhood.

Sakura's arms rested on my shoulders as she began telling me details of her fantasies.

"There are times when I imagine you fingering me in public, like at school or a restaurant. We never tried that but I'm sure the trilling sensation will be very arousing. Don't you think so?"

I couldn't bring myself to respond because the way Sakura was rubbing my abdomen was robbing my capability to do so. Sakura giggled at the state I was in and continued talking.

"Sometimes when I'm bored in the middle of a class, I will imagine you fucking me on the desk after school. Whenever my mind wanders towards that direction, I will always end up soaking wet."

Sakura's words, which were said in a raspy voice, were making my erected dick throbbed painfully against my pants. I knew I should push her away and ask her to rest, but I just couldn't move my body.

I tensed up immediately when I felt Sakura's hand on the obvious tent on my pants. I groaned in pleasure as she rubbed me down there. And the way she was biting her lips as she did so made her look extremely sexy.

"And whenever I thought of your big dick, I have a strong urge to suck it. You have no idea how much I love having you inside me, Sasuke."

Before I could say anything, Sakura had crashed her lips onto mine. As she explored the insides of my mouth of her tongue, she was rubbing her soaked womanhood on my erection. I could finally breathe when her lips left mine to place kisses on my neck.

I hissed when Sakura sucked my neck and I closed my eyes at the pleasure. She continued doing so for a few moments and I knew she was going to leave a mark.

I slowly opened my eyes and Sakura suddenly stopped moving.

I glanced over to the girl on top of me and saw that she had fallen asleep. And I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or disappointed.

The good thing was that I could stop feeling bad. But leaving me sexually frustrated was just cruel.

" _At least I found out about Sakura's interesting little secret."_

* * *

Author's Note: You know the drill, everyone! Keep up with the reviews, follows and favorites. All of them make this author incredibly happy! Thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter!


	18. Fears and Worries

Author's Note: So sorry, everyone! I know it had been rather draggy but don't worry, I am planning to end it. Actually, it's coming close to an end. Probably a few more chapters and this fanfic will be completed! Keep up with the reviews, follows and favorites, dear readers!

Chapter 18: Fears and Worries

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Come on, Sasuke. Tell me what I did or said when I was drunk. It's annoying that I can't remember anything!"

"Trust me, Sakura. You don't want to know."

"I want to. Spill it out!"

"For your own good, I'm not telling you."

Even after we had returned to Japan, Sakura couldn't stop bugging me to tell her what happened that night. I just couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth. It was best that she didn't know.

I planned to ask Itachi to come over to the airport and we could send Sakura home. But I received a rather sudden call from Orochimaru and his unusual frustrated tone gave me a bad feeling.

"Where are you right now, Sasuke? I have something urgent to discuss with you immediately."

"I'm at the airport."

"Stay there and wait for me."

Orochimaru was acting weird and I was confused with the whole situation. Sakura must have noticed my odd expression and asked me who called.

"Who was that?"

"It's my manager. He said he has something urgent to discuss with me."

"I see. I'll get going first then. I can get a cab outside."

"Alright, I'll see you soon."

Sakura waved at me as she walked towards the taxi stand. I wore my disguise and walked out to wait for Orochimaru.

Orochimaru arrived soon enough and when I entered the car, I came face to face with an obviously very irritated manager.

"What is it this time?" I got straight to the point when I saw that Orochimaru meant business. I had never seen him that annoyed.

"How many times have I told you to be careful, Sasuke?"

I didn't respond and simply urged Orochimaru to continue. He always had the tendency to beat around the bush. He should really learn how to be more straightforward.

"Someone saw you and Sakura together at Europe and had spread the news around. I really doubt I can do anything to stop things this time round. Seriously, how many times do you want things like this to happen? And it gets worse each time."

I groaned in frustration and ran my fingers through my hair. To think I actually thought nobody would recognize me back there. I guessed I was too naïve.

"How bad is the situation?" I had to know what sort of situation I was dealing with. So far, it had always been Orochimaru who fixed the mess I caused. But this time, I knew I had to deal with it as well.

"By now, those fans of yours most probably can recognize Sakura at one glance. And judging from how fanatic some of them are, I'm worried that they'll harm her."

I felt a pang of pain on my heart at the thought of Sakura getting hurt because of my carelessness. But what Orochimaru said was true and there was a high chance Sakura might get into some troubles.

"What should I do now?" I glanced over at my manager, who seemed to be wrecking his brain for ideas.

"I'm in the middle of trying to stop more articles from being published. At the mean time, don't meet up with Sakura. You can't risk having seen with her at a time like this."

I hated the idea of not being able to see Sakura for the time being but it was the right thing to do.

" _I'm willing to do anything to make sure Sakura is alright."_

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"This doesn't look very good, Sakura. I'm worried about you."

Once I got home, my mother showed me an article on a magazine, which was about Sasuke and me. There was even a picture of us at Europe published along with the article. I felt guilty for making my mother worry and I tried to assure her that everything was going to be fine.

"Don't worry, mother. It isn't the first time something like this happened."

"Because this isn't the first time, I am worried. Your father and I could just ignore it previously but this time, we couldn't just sit around and say nothing."

My mother led me to the living room where my father was. He seemed equally concerned and I couldn't help but feel bad for it. I sat on the sofa with my mother, who urged my father to speak.

"Sakura, I am aware that this isn't the first time the media published something about you and Sasuke. Your mother and I are supportive of you being with him. However, if this continues to happen, we might change our mind."

I stood up hastily when I heard my father's words. I began to panic and was frantically trying to think of ways to convince my parents that I was going to be alright.

"Trust me, nothing bad will happen." I hated how that was all I could manage to say. And I hated it more at how unconvincing my tone was. I sounded as if I wasn't sure of myself.

My parents must have noticed the absence of my usual confidence and it made them even more worried.

To be honest, I didn't expect things would turn out that way. All this while, I knew that Sasuke's manager was the one who managed to control the articles and rumors. But this time, I just had a feeling it wouldn't be so easy to control the situation.

And for once, I felt like I could be in some sort of trouble.

It was my mother who voiced out my concern, "Sakura, you know how crazy some fans can be. What if they will harm you after reading these articles? And your face is shown so clearly!"

"You're over thinking the matter, mother. I doubt they will be that extreme." My words had betrayed my honest thoughts and I tried to bring out a smile to sound convincing. Of course, I failed at doing so once again.

My father sighed and massaged his temples as he spoke, "I want you to be careful from now on, alright?"

I nodded before heading back to my room. There was something weighing on my heart and I couldn't help but feel nervous.

Then my thoughts wandered to that time back at our field trip when one of Sasuke's fans tried to push me into the lake. An uncomfortable shiver ran down my spine as I remembered that incident.

I definitely shouldn't take things too lightly.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

It has been five days since I last met Sakura. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss her. But I didn't have much of a choice.

I went home once after I came back from the trip, only to find reporters swarming around. Not wanting to disturb my family members, I decided to stay in my apartment for the time being. From then on, I barely left the apartment because there were always reporters waiting for me outside.

Whenever I need something, I would ask Orochimaru to get it for me. I would do that as little as possible though since he would always nag me whenever he came over.

There was still half an hour before I needed to leave the apartment for work. I was resuming filming the TV drama that day and even though I wasn't in the best mood, I couldn't let that distract me from my job.

I decided to give Sakura a call as I waited for the time for me to head over to the filming studio.

"Hello."

Sakura's voice brought a smile on my face, which was something I had not done for the past few days. She wasn't exactly in her most cheerful state but I couldn't blame her for that.

"How are you doing these days?" Although I had a clear idea regarding her low spirits, I just had to hear it from her.

"Do you want to hear the truth or the lie?"

I chuckled slightly before demanding the truth from Sakura.

"I miss you, Sasuke."

"I know you do."

"You're so annoying."

"But you still miss me."

"I don't anymore."

"I miss you, Sakura."

"You're really annoying, you know."

The two of us shared some laughter as we engaged in casual conversation. I truly missed everything about her; her voice, her smile and also her warmth. I wanted to go to wherever she was at that moment but I knew I shouldn't.

I shouldn't bring more troubles to Sakura's life more than I already did.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."

My apology came out from nowhere and I knew I had startled Sakura. I was sure she must have looked as confused as she sounded.

"Why are you apologizing so suddenly, Sasuke?"

"I heard from Orochimaru that reporters went to disturb you as well. Some of them went as far as going to your house. I'm really sorry for getting you into this trouble."

"Sasuke, stop apologizing. It's not even your fault to begin with! And I'm dating a famous celebrity; I kind of guessed this will happen eventually. I'm totally prepared!"

It was obvious that Sakura was putting on a strong front. I asked Orochimaru to check on Sakura and I hated what he told me. Apparently, several reporters had found out Sakura's address and actually went to find her. Of course, Sakura didn't entertain their questions. But she ended up being stuck inside her house just like me.

It was my fault for not considering these things before.

"Please take care of yourself, Sakura."

"You're being such a worrywart and that's so unlike you. I'll be fine, I promise."

"I'll be hanging up now. I need to head over to the filming studio."

"Okay, good luck with work."

"I'll see you soon."

"I hope your definition of 'soon' is the same as mine."

I laughed at how Sakura was showing how badly she missed me and it made me happy in a way. But on the other hand, I was consumed with guilt for causing the disturbance around her.

Most importantly, I hoped she would really be alright.

* * *

"It seems like you're in deep trouble this time."

I glared at Sai for being as incredibly straightforward as always. The two of us were resting in a waiting room in the middle of filming as we waited for our turn to go onto the set. After the misunderstanding was cleared, things between us got better.

I stopped acting as if I was after his life and naturally, he no longer gave me those horrible fake smiles of his. However, that didn't mean Sai had become a likeable person. His personality still needed a whole lot of _renovation_.

Yes, he was still as annoying as ever.

I ignored Sai and continued drinking the cup of coffee in my hand. Of course, the dense guy beside me just wouldn't stop talking.

"And I heard the reporters are giving Sakura a hard time as well."

" _Is Sai going all out to make me feel even guiltier than I already am?"_

"Oh, my manager told me that there are a lot of furious fans expressing their discontentment in the internet. Saying stuffs like Sakura had bewitched their 'Sasuke-sama'."

I cringed when I heard Sai casually mentioning a nickname my fans often used to refer to me. I wasn't very fond of that nickname but Sai had effortlessly made it worse.

"I hope those jealous fans of yours won't harm Sakura. Some of them wrote really nasty things about her online. My manager even saw people discussing ways on how to hurt Sakura."

A familiar ache was felt on my heart at the thought of Sakura getting hurt. Such images had been going around in my mind lately and I would always feel uneasy.

I knew how extreme some of my fans were. I had found out about that side of theirs in the hard way.

My fans often jumped onto me without respecting my personal space. Some of them even went as far as hugging or kissing me. But the worst case was when several fans had crossed the line and actually stalked me all the way to my house.

Most of the time, I would let the matter rest without causing a big fuss. After all, even though their actions were highly questionable, they were still my fans. A celebrity couldn't survive without the support of their fans, no matter how talented they were. That was a fact.

Only when things were greatly unacceptable, I would express my displeasure through the media. Of course, it was done in a polite and graceful way despite the fact that I was pissed to no end. When I found out that I was followed all the way back to my house, I went onto my social media and told my fans to stop doing that because their action would disturb my family.

Fortunately for me, they actually stopped and it never happened again.

And this time, if something really happened to Sakura, I wouldn't let things go that easily.

Sakura was way too precious for me, after all.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

Who was I trying to lie?

I was far from fine and I had been feeling jumpy for days. But Sasuke was having a harder time than I was and I didn't want him to worry about me. And it wasn't like I was hurt or something.

Well, I was somewhat mentally injured though. It bothered me so much to have reporters outside my house, waiting for the chance to question me. I had not been out of the house for days and I was bored out of my mind.

" _How do celebrities survive having their private lives disturbed like this?"_

When I could no longer stand being caged in my own house, I looked through the window to check the situation outside. I almost squealed when I saw that there wasn't anyone outside. I quickly changed my clothes before heading out.

"Where are you going, Sakura?"

I was just about to open the door when my mother called out to me. I turned around and came face to face with a somewhat annoyed mother. I knew how worried my parents had been and they were clearly against the idea of me going out.

"I'm going out." I answered with a little smile, which had brought a deeper frown on my mother's face.

"You can't. It's too dangerous."

I groaned in frustration and I scratched the back of my head roughly, "It's not like people are after my life, mother! I'll be fine. And if reporters come up to me, I'll just ignore them. I know how to handle it."

"Sakura, did you see all those horrible things Sasuke's fans say online?"

My body tensed up immediately upon hearing my mother's words. I knew exactly what she was referring to. Ino called me two days ago and told me about the mean things people had been saying online. When they said that I had 'put a spell' on Sasuke to make him fall in love with me, I simply laughed it off because it was just bloody ridiculous.

What bothered me was the fact that there were people saying they wanted to hurt me. Someone went as far as saying I should get hit by a car.

Seriously, could they be any nastier than that?

"They don't mean what they say, mother. I will be fine."

"Let me go with you." My mother placed her hands on either side of her hip and seemed serious about accompanying me. Judging from her current state, instead of getting some quality time, I would end up feeling irritated.

"No thanks, mother."

And I left in a hurry before my mother could say another word.

* * *

I drove to a nearby mall and was walking around aimlessly. I wasn't even window shopping, I was literally just walking. There were people every now and then looking at my way but I pretended it didn't bother me at all. I had a strong urge to glare at them or give them a huge piece of my mind. However, I was aware that it wasn't a good idea to do so.

The last thing I needed was articles saying that Sasuke's girlfriend was a violent maniac.

When I realized that I have walked through the same places for at least three times already, I decided to leave. I wasn't sure where I should go to, but I just didn't feel like going home yet. Just then, my phone rang and I smiled when I saw that it was Ino.

"Hello, Ino."

"Are you home, Sakura? Wait, of course you are. Where else could you be? I know you're really bored so I'll head over to your house and we can watch a movie together or something."

"I'm not home."

"What?! Where are you?"

I had to pull my phone away from my ear when Ino shrieked in that high pitched voice of hers. I rolled my eyes before replying.

"I'm at the mall near my house."

"Why?! You're not supposed to be outside at a time like this. What if something happens to you?"

"I'm fine, Ino. Seriously, everyone should stop getting so worked up. I can take care of myself. I will lose my mind if I stayed inside my house for another minute!"

"You're so unbelievably stubborn, Sakura. Whatever, there's no point lecturing you right now. And you won't listen if I ask you to go home. Forcing you to do something you don't want is an impossible task as well."

"You know me so well, Ino."

"I know right? Anyway, let's meet up. Should I go to the mall to find you?"

"No, I'm leaving soon. Why don't we meet up at that Japanese restaurant you like so much?"

"Sounds perfect! See you soon. And be careful, okay?!"

"Yes, yes." I hung up before Ino could nag at me again. I knew she was just worried about me so I would just bear with it.

I parked my car at the basement and since there wasn't any lift reaching there, I had to use the staircase. As I walked, I felt like someone was following me. When I turned my head over my shoulder, I didn't see anyone.

" _That's weird. I am sure I felt someone else's presence."_

There wasn't anyone else around and I was beginning to feel scared. I increased my pace and I could feel sweat damping my forehead. I started to tremble when I felt someone behind me for the second time. But before I could turn to see who it was, I felt a pair of hands pushing me forcefully.

My breath was taken away from me when I lost my footing on the staircase. I didn't get to hold onto the handrail and was losing my balance immediately.

The last thing I remembered was seeing another person's shadow before I fell onto the ground and my consciousness was ripped away in an instant.

* * *

Author's Note: As usual, keep up with the reviews, follows and favorites! I feel sad to say that this fanfic is getting closer towards its ending (insert sad frown). Anyway, thanks for reading and please look forward to the next chapter!


	19. Plans for the Future

Author's Note: Thanks a lot for sharing your opinions, dear readers! This fanfic is nearing its end so I will try my best to not disappoint everyone! Enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 19: Plans for the Future

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Sasuke, I need to tell you something. But I want you to stay calm."

I had just finished filming for the day when Orochimaru approached me with a worrisome expression on his face. There was something about his nervous tone which triggered fear inside me. One look into his eyes and I knew something bad had happened.

"What is it?" I tried to sound as composed as I could, even though my heart was thumping hard due to anxiousness. With everything that had been happening around me, it couldn't be anything good.

" _Please don't let it be about Sakura."_

Orochimaru appeared to be hesitant at first but spoke after heaving a sigh.

"Sakura is hurt and is now in the hospital."

My eyes went wide upon hearing what Orochimaru said and my whole body felt like it was turning numb. My beating heart soon became the only thing I could hear and everything else seemed blurry to me.

"What happened?"

I almost couldn't recognize my own voice. It sounded shaky and was filled with angst. Orochimaru must have noticed the vulnerable state I was in and was trying to be more careful with his words. He had never exactly been the considerate type and for him to act that way, it only meant I was in a worse shape than I thought.

"The police are still investigating the case. Sakura was found unconscious under the staircase in a mall and judging from her injuries, she must have fallen from the stairs."

"I'm going to go see her now."

"Reporters are all over the hospital right now. They assumed that Sakura was harmed by a fan of yours and is waiting for a scoop to write about. If you go to the hospital now, you'll definitely be swarmed by them."

"I don't care." I emphasized each word to show how serious I was. "Sakura means too much for me to care about pesky reporters."

Orochimaru was still displeased with my decision but he could sense that I wasn't going to change my mind. He groaned in defeat before passing me the keys to the car.

Afterwards, each step I took felt heavier than the previous one.

Orochimaru wasn't joking when he said the hospital was full of reporters. Needless to say, they caught sight of me and were ruthlessly charging towards me, showing no respect towards my privacy.

It took much effort to shrug them off but I managed to misdirect them. I quickly located the ward Sakura was in and felt my heart clenching hard when I found it. My hand was trembling as I reached for the knob, which felt extremely cold under my touch. Blood was drained from my face as I turned the freezing metal on my hand.

For the first time in my life, I was scared to see the truth with my own eyes.

When I saw Sakura's unconscious self laying on the bed, I felt immense pain rushing throughout my body. It was as if someone was crushing my racing heart.

There was a bandage around Sakura's forehead and a visible bruise on her left cheek. The sight itself was enough to break my heart to pieces. I dragged my body towards Sakura, who was sleeping soundly with her mother sitting beside her.

Mebuki-san stood up from her seat when she noticed my presence. She was obviously worried sick as she walked towards me. Judging from her glassy and swollen eyes, she had definitely been crying.

"How is Sakura right now, Mebuki-san?" I didn't bother hiding the anxiety behind my voice. Seeing the panic state I was in made Mebuki-san tear up even more.

"The doctor said she is alright now and should be awake soon."

Relief rushed through me upon hearing the good news. I finally let go of the breath I was unconsciously holding onto. Mebuki-san took a step backwards, giving me way to walk over to Sakura.

I sat on the chair beside the bed and took one of Sakura's hands into mine. I kissed her hand softly and was slightly comforted by her warmth.

" _Please be alright, Sakura."_

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

" _Where am I?"_

My head was throbbing once I started regaining consciousness. I furrowed my eyebrows uncomfortably and writhed about in pain. But I was comforted by a gentle voice and something warm around my hand.

"Sakura."

I recognized that voice and a small smiled appeared on my face despite the pain on my head. I cracked an eye open and my smile grew wider when I saw Sasuke looking straight at me. I had never seen him looked so worried before and if it wasn't for the weak state I was in, I would have laughed at him.

"You look pathetic." My voice was so soft that I wasn't sure if Sasuke had heard me. But when I saw one of his infamous smirks, I knew he did.

"Speak for yourself, Sakura." His tender expression returned afterwards. "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm still alive despite a massive headache."

Sasuke smiled when he found out that I was still capable of joking. He removed my hand and stood up from his seat to let my mother have a better look at me.

I felt a pang of pain when I saw how worried my mother was. She was tearing up as she caressed my face, to make sure that I was indeed alright.

I rubbed her hand which was on my cheek and gave it a light squeeze, assuring her that I was indeed feeling fine.

Suddenly, the door opened and I heard footsteps from two separate people. I wasn't able to see who it was from where I was so I asked my mother to help me sit up. It felt like someone was pressing onto my head violently but I managed to lean against the headrest. It was then when I realized that I was in one of my family's hospitals. I knew it just from taking a better look at the ward I was in.

I turned towards the door and saw that it was my father and Ino who had just entered.

"Sakura, are you feeling alright now?!" Ino literally yelled into my ear after rushing to my side.

"I'm alright. But I won't be if you continue shouting in that high pitched voice of yours."

Tears were on the verge of falling from Ino's blue eyes as she gave me a huge bear hug. I had to remove her from me by force because she could actually end up crushing me.

My father seemed glad to see that I was already awake. He came over to me and patted my head lovingly. The smile from his face slowly turned into a frown when my mother spoke.

"Kizashi, what did the police say?"

My father and Ino exchanged worrisome glances with each other. It was then when I realized that the two of them must have been with the police while I was still unconscious.

My mother was getting impatient with my father's lack of response and urged him to speak up. After taking in a deep breath, my father finally told us what he had found out from the police.

"The police went through the CCTV recordings near the place Sakura was found. Fortunately, they were able to see the person who pushed Sakura." My father stopped abruptly and glanced over at Sasuke. He seemed conflicted and didn't seem willing to continue.

Ino saw how troubled my father was and decided to continue the explanation.

"After an investigation, the police managed to track down that girl who pushed Sakura. And a while ago, it was confirmed that she is one of Sasuke's diehard fans."

I would be lying if I said I didn't suspect it was one of Sasuke's mentally disturbed fans. I turned towards Sasuke and it hurts to see the look on his face.

His eyes were a mixture of anger, guilt and also sadness. He looked so sorry that my heart was hurting just from staring into his eyes. I wanted to comfort him, to embrace him and tell him that it wasn't his fault.

But when I moved a little, I ended up falling back in place due to my headache. My mother quickly grabbed onto my shoulders to keep my balance and asked me to stay put. I listened to her, not wanting to worry her more than I already did.

Sasuke looked at my parents apologetically as he spoke.

"I'm really sorry for allowing this to happen. I really am."

There was just something about Sasuke voice and the pained look on his face that effortlessly broke my heart. He had completely put down his usual confidence and was reflecting pure guilt.

"Sasuke, it will be unreasonable of Mebuki and me to blame you for this. However, we can't risk having our daughter getting hurt again."

Tears were blurring my vision and there was a lump on my throat, preventing me to speak. I gripped onto my father's arm, shaking my head vigorously, as a way to tell him not to tell Sasuke what I feared he would say.

My father bit his lower lip as he glanced over at me. He knew his words were going to hurt me but that fact didn't stop him from continuing.

"After what happened, I'm not sure if I can allow my daughter to be with you."

My heart skipped a beat and my breath was taken away in an instant. I stared at my father in disbelief, not being able to bring myself to face the truth.

"Please don't do this, father." I chocked on my own voice at first but became more agitated by the second. "This is my entire fault for taking things lightly. It's my fault for not being careful enough. Please don't do this."

I was sobbing as I begged my father to change his mind. But amidst his pained eyes, lies a clear determination.

At that moment, he wasn't planning to change his mind.

"I'm sorry."

That was all my father had said before a tensed silence fell among us. I continued sobbing and Ino embraced me to calm me down.

My eyes then wandered to Sasuke, who was showing more emotions than usual. He was definitely hurt by my father's decision but was understanding at the same time.

His next words brought even more tears running down my face.

"I'm sorry for what I did. But I will find a way to protect Sakura. I'm not going to give her up."

And with one last smile, he left.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I couldn't blame Sakura's father for what he had said. After all, it was because of me his precious daughter got hurt.

" _I must do something to fix this."_

When I heard what Kizashi-san said, I caught a glimpse of how it would be like if I were to lose Sakura. The feeling was simple unbearable. And the sight of Sakura so heartbroken was just agonizing.

Once I successfully avoided the reporters and got into my car, I took my phone out and called my manager.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

"I need to do something to stop people from hurting Sakura again."

"I've been trying to think of a way for you to do that without offending your fans. Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with something. But remember, Sasuke, we can't risk having you angering your fans. I want you to think rationally."

"I know." Even though I was desperate, I knew better than to sacrifice my career. Knowing Sakura, she would be very angry if I ruined my career in order to protect her.

After discussing with Orochimaru for some time, an idea appeared in my mind.

"I think I have a plan that might work."

"What?"

"Arrange a press conference for me. It's time for me to clear things up once and for all."

" _Wait for me, Sakura."_

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"I can't sit down and do nothing about this."

"What do you intend to do, Sakura?"

I convinced my parents that I was alright and that they should go back home to rest. They were exhausted and I needed some space to calm down after what happened earlier.

My father apologized for the things he had said to Sasuke but I told him I didn't blame him. I knew he did that because he loved me and I just couldn't stay mad at my own father.

Ino helped me persuaded my parents to go home by saying she would accompany me for the night. And when my parents finally left, I told Ino that I wanted to do something to help Sasuke fix the whole situation.

"I'm not sure. Can you go on the internet and see what are Sasuke's fans saying right now?"

Ino nodded and took out her phone to start browsing. Ino told me that the news of my accident had been spreading faster than she had expected. By then, it was already all over the cyber world.

Ino grimaced as she looked at her screen. I didn't like the look on her face but it was time for me to face the music.

"Some of the comments are rather nasty, Sakura."

"Just shoot me with them, Ino. I think by now I'm kind of numb from all those mean things they say."

Ino sighed before telling me what people had been saying about me.

"Well, a lot of Sasuke's fans said you deserved what happened to you." Ino snorted in disgust before continuing. "There are people saying that you're brain washing their 'Sasuke-sama' while others said you must have casted a spell on him."

"They still believe that I'm a witch?" I asked casually as if it was normal for them to think that way in the first place. Ino was confused at how calm I was but continued her little research anyway.

"Apparently, they still do. Also, some actually said you will be a distraction to Sasuke and cause the downfall of his career. These people are way too dramatic for my liking."

"And that's coming from Ino Yamanaka, who is known to be a drama queen."

"I know right." For once, Ino embraced her 'drama queen' title and I couldn't contain my laughter. Ino rolled her eyes, unable to believe how laid back I was with everything that was going on around me.

"Anyway, I'm rather mad to know that they think I would be an obstacle for Sasuke."

"You're only 'rather mad'? You should be furious!"

I waved nonchalantly at Ino, telling her to calm her nerves down. It made her run her hands through her long blonde hair in irritation.

"There's no point in boiling my blood over those petty things they said. It's better to stay composed and think of a way to counter this."

"You're so calm that it's kind of creeping me out." Ino faked a horrified expression as she scrolled through the article on her phone. "Anyway, some fans are saying that you're planning to keep Sasuke all for yourself. Seriously, what does that even mean?!"

"Well, from what I know, fans think that idols should be 'shared' equally among fans. And in their eyes, I had gone against that 'unwritten rule'."

"But you're not even a fan." Ino said matter-of-factly. "You don't love him as an idol; you love him as a person!"

"That makes sense. But that's not how Sasuke's fans see it." I shrugged my shoulders and reached out for a glass of water from the night stand.

"Why are these fans so brainless and irrational?" Ino growled while glaring at the wall at the far end as if it had offended her greatly.

"Love makes one blind." I giggled as I spoke, trying to release some of the tension consuming Ino.

"In this case, their love for 'Sasuke-sama' made them both blind and stupid." Ino crossed her arms in front of her chest and her frown was getting even more obvious.

"I need to do something to clear up these ridiculous things they have been saying about me." I mumbled more to myself as I began thinking of ideas to fix things. I wasn't going to run away and wait for someone to help me get out from the mess I was in.

"So, what are you planning to do?"

I gave myself a few more moments to wreck my brain before an idea popped up.

"I'm going to write a post on my blog and have it shared here and there in the internet."

Ino seemed fascinated with my idea but she quickly became confused.

"Since when do you have a blog, Sakura?"

"I never did. That's why I'm going to create one."

"What are you going to write on your post?"

"I'm going to write things that will stop Sasuke's fans from thinking that I'm a 'witch' who is going to destroy Sasuke's life."

Ino gave my idea some thoughts before breaking into a wide grin. She seemed pleased with it and nodded in agreement.

"That sounds brilliant and might actually work. After all, we all know that the internet is the best platform to spread things like this. Better get this done as soon as possible. If you let these nonsensical rumors to spread for long, you'll be the one who ends up destroyed."

"That's right. I won't sit here without doing anything and let Sasuke do all the work."

Ino stood up from her seat and was beaming excitedly, "What you need now is a laptop. Tenten and Hinata said they want to stay here with you tonight as well. I'm going to go fetch them and I'll bring along one of their laptops when I'm coming back here."

I thanked Ino as she literally skipped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Just then, I was startled by a sudden knock on the window beside my bed. I was honestly frightened at first, not knowing what or who was out there. I slowly got out of my bed and was relieved that my head felt much better already.

But when I saw who it was, all fears were forgotten and I ran to open the window.

It was Sasuke.

"What are you doing here?" I asked once there wasn't any glass separating us. Without any warning, Sasuke pulled me into an embrace. Despite being slightly surprised, it didn't take long before I completely absorbed myself in Sasuke's warmth.

"I want to see you. But the reporters are getting more difficult to chase off so I decided to meet you through the window instead."

I giggled at Sasuke's explanation while tightening my grip on his clothes.

"Fortunately for you, Sasuke, my ward is on the first floor. What will you do if I am staying in the tenth floor?"

"I'll climb the walls."

"Do you think you're Spiderman or something?" I laughed heartedly while pulling away from Sasuke's chest. I came face to face with his handsome smirk, which almost looked like it was illuminating due to the moonlight shining on his face.

"I'm not some superhero but I'm Sasuke Uchiha. And that's about the same."

"You're so unbelievably arrogant and I still don't understand how that is possible."

Sasuke chuckled as he placed a hand on my head and touched our foreheads together. We stayed there for a while before closing the gap for a loving kiss.

It was tender and sweet and I couldn't seem to get enough of it. I pouted playfully when Sasuke pulled back and was rewarded with a quick kiss on my nose.

It felt ticklish but I loved the feeling nevertheless.

Sasuke then wrapped his arms around my neck and stared straight into my eyes.

I could feel intense emotions from Sasuke's gaze. It just made me refuse to let him go.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."

"You don't have to be sorry at all, Sasuke. None of this is your fault."

"I'm going to stop all of this. I'm not going to let you get hurt again."

"But I'm not going to let you carry the entire burden, Sasuke."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke released his arms from my neck and placed his hands on my shoulder, giving him a better look at me.

"You'll see. It's a surprise so I'm not telling you." Knowing Sasuke, he would definitely end up getting worried unnecessarily if I told him what I was intending to do. After all, I was sure he would rather do things on his own and keep me out of it. That was just the way he was.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me and I replied with a childish grin. Seeing how insistent I was to keep my plan a secret, Sasuke gave up trying to make me speak up.

"Alright then, but I don't want you to do anything that will harm you."

"I won't, Sasuke."

"I have a plan up on my sleeve as well."

"What are you doing to do?"

"Not telling you."

I rolled my eyes at Sasuke for his little 'revenge' because I decided to keep my own plan a secret. Sasuke chuckled and calmed me down by giving me a peck on my bruised cheek. It was so gentle, almost as if he was trying to heal my wound.

I felt so much love I thought I could burst from the happiness swelling inside me.

"You'll see tomorrow. Anyway, I should get going now. Rest well, Sakura."

"Goodbye, Sasuke. I love you."

"I love you too."

And with one last kiss, we parted ways.

" _Everything's going to be alright soon."_

* * *

Author's Note: As usual, please leave a review on your way out! Your opinions are highly valuable for me. And reviews make me really happy (insert overexcited grin). Of course, follows and favorites are appreciated as well! Thank you for reading and hope to see you in the next chapter.


	20. Protecting Our Love

Author's Note: Hello again, everyone! Thanks a whole lot for the reviews, suggestion, follows and favorites! I'm glad this fanfic has exceeded 100 reviews and has reached over 21,500 views. I won't make it this far without everyone's support!

And to answer _ApplesStrawberries_ 's question: I have several ongoing fanfic right now and I take turns updating each of them. Because I'm currently having summer holidays, I usually write every day so I update rather often. However, my holidays are ending soon so I doubt I can write as much anymore. But I promise to try my best to update fanfics once a week or at least once in two weeks. Thank you for the positive review, by the way!

Chapter 20: Protecting Our Love

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"I'm done!"

I knew I had to rest but I couldn't bring myself to do so until I was done with the blog post I was working on. I started writing once Ino, Hinata and Tenten arrived with a laptop. To be honest, it was more difficult than those assignments back at school.

I was trying to convey my thoughts while trying not to offend Sasuke's fans. And trust me, that wasn't easy at all.

Once I was done with the post, which took me almost two hours, I handed the laptop to the others, asking them to read through it.

* * *

 _I am Sakura Haruno and I am writing this blog post to clarify some matters. I am aware that some of you are discontent with me for what have been going on recently. But even though I got injured in the midst of all these happenings, I am not angry. I understand why everyone's upset, I really do._

 _But trust me when I say that I will do nothing that will harm Sasuke. I am completely supportive of his career and I want nothing but the best for him. I will never do anything that will hurt Sasuke and his career because I want him to succeed as much as all of you wish._

 _I can guarantee that Sasuke's love towards everyone will stay the same no matter what happens. I know that everyone cares a lot about Sasuke and is worried that I will bring him troubles. But I definitely won't let that happen._

 _I am sure Sasuke knows that whatever everyone did, it was due to your love for him. But please bear in mind that there are other ways to express your love and some of your methods have hurt Sasuke instead._

 _I hope that everyone will allow me to stand with them to shower Sasuke with our unconditional care._

 _Believe me; I want nothing but the best for Sasuke because I love him._

* * *

"It's beautifully written, Sakura!" Ino squealed and pulled me into an embrace. Tenten and Hinata seemed to agree with Ino as well.

"Do you guys think Sasuke's fans will understand?" Sasuke's fans had been agitated for a while already and I wasn't sure if my blog post would do any good.

"Don't worry. I'm sure they're not _that_ petty to stay mad after reading what you wrote." Tenten grinned and squeezed my shoulder to reassure me.

"Have it posted now and take a rest, Sakura." Hinata handed me back the laptop and I nodded in agreement.

" _I hope this will help Sasuke lessen his burden."_

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"The press conference will start in fifteen minutes."

Orochimaru entered the waiting room I was in and sat beside me on the sofa. He told me that there were already a lot of reporters gathering outside before passing his phone to me.

"I think you'll be interested in this post I found earlier. It's spreading throughout the internet at this very moment."

At first, I thought it was another one of those pesky and over exaggerated articles about Sakura and me. I definitely didn't expect it was a blog post written by Sakura herself.

"She posted that last night and it didn't take long before people began sharing it here and there. I must say, she wrote really well." Orochimaru spoke as I read through Sakura's blog post. I couldn't help but smile when I could feel Sakura's love behind her words.

"How are the fans reacting to this?" I asked Orochimaru as I returned the phone to him.

"In general, they are reacting positively. A lot are touched by Sakura's sincerity and seem to want to stop the cyber bulling. There are still several negative comments but there's nothing much to be worried about."

"That's good to hear."

" _If this is the surprise Sakura referred to, then I really am surprised."_

"It's almost time, Sasuke. Let's go."

I stood up from my seat and took in a deep breath before leaving the room.

" _It's my turn to make a move, Sakura."_

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"Your blog post is going viral, Sakura. And there are a lot of positive comments going on too."

Tenten was browsing through the internet with her laptop inside my ward, all the while telling me about the things Sasuke's fans had been saying about the post I wrote. Hinata was sitting by the bed, looking very pleased with the situation.

"I'm glad things are going great, Sakura." Hinata squeezed my hand and smiled happily at me. I nodded and returned the smile as well. I was already feeling much better and the doctor told me I could be discharged by tomorrow.

All of a sudden, the door slammed open, startling the three of us effortlessly. We turned towards the door and saw a panting Ino, who left the ward a while ago to buy lunch for us. But not only did she return with empty hands, she looked like she had just run a marathon.

Ino placed a hand on the doorframe for support as she tried to catch her breath. Before any of us got to say anything, she closed the door behind her and reached for the TV's remote control.

"What's wrong, Ino?" I asked with my eyes following each and every move of that blonde friend of mine.

Ino explained as she went through the channels in the TV, "I was at the cafeteria earlier when I heard a conversation among a group of girls. One of them said that Sasuke is holding a press conference at this very moment. And it's aired on one of the TV channels."

"Sasuke is holding a press conference?!" I exclaimed with shock and stared at the TV with wide opened eyes.

When I saw Sasuke on the screen, I was completely speechless. The plan Sasuke had up on his sleeve was definitely a bigger surprise than mine.

" _Sasuke."_

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

One thing was for sure, there was really no point in lying during that press conference.

"Sasuke-san, is it true that you're dating Sakura Haruno?"

"Yes." Even before the start of the press conference, my eyes felt like they were blinded from the countless flashes from the cameras. But I tried to pretend I wasn't bothered with it.

"How do you feel when you found out that one of your fans had harmed Haruno-san?"

Bearing in mind Orochimaru's constant reminder of making sure not to hurt the fans' feelings, I answered without sounding too pissed off even though I was.

"To be honest, I was disappointed when I found out about it. However, I should bear part of the blame for what had happened. I should have told my fans about Sakura earlier. I apologize for keeping it from them and hurting them in the process."

"Do you have anything to say about the post Haruno-san posted last night?"

A small smile caressed my face at the thought of Sakura's words. The reporter who asked me the question must have noticed the slight change in my expression because his own softened as well.

"No words can explain how happy I was when I read what she wrote. And I'll appreciate it if everyone will believe what she said. I can vouch for her, that everything she wrote was nothing but her true feelings."

I felt relieved when I saw that most reporters seemed pleased with my answers so far. But just when I thought things were going to end soon, a reporter suddenly stood up and asked a question I didn't really consider before the press conference began.

"I am still wondering about an article from a while back, Sasuke-san. Is it true that there is a love triangle among you, Haruno-san and Sai-san?"

 _That_ was something I totally forgot about. After the misunderstanding with Sai was made clear, I no longer think about it and even became friends with him. But the public didn't know that and still believed there was a love triangle going on.

Orochimaru, who sat beside me, appeared to be troubled by the question as well. Even my capable manager didn't expect that someone would bring up about Sai during the press conference.

When I was taking too long to answer, the room was filled with whispers and murmurs. The earlier positivity was slowly fading away and even Orochimaru seemed to be slightly panicking.

But the entire room fell into silence when the door suddenly opened. Everyone inside the conference hall turned to see who the intruder was.

It was none other than the man in question; Sai.

" _What is he doing here?"_

Sai walked through the crowd of reporters, unfazed by the stares and the cameras' flashes. He had a smile plastered on his face, which, surprisingly, wasn't too fake to hurt my eyes.

Sai took a seat beside me, as if his presence was part of a plan. He seemed comfortable and there wasn't any sign of nervousness.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered as discreetly as I could, not wanting to show the reporters that I was taken aback as well. I wanted to stay composed throughout the whole press conference, after all.

"I'm here to help. I had a feeling my name will be brought up."

I glanced away from Sai, annoyed with the fact that he actually considered the probability of the reporters questioning about him while it didn't even cross my mind at all.

Once the reporters finally calmed down, one of them stood up to start questioning Sai.

"Sai-san, is it true that you're involved in a love triangle with Sasuke-san and Haruno-san?"

"There's nothing of that sort." Sai remained relax as he spoke in a casual tone but serious at the same time. "It was just a misunderstanding. Haruno-san and I are just friends."

"But is it true that Sasuke-san and you are on bad terms? A reliable source once told me that the two of you don't seem to like each other."

I often wondered why reporters bothered with trivial stuffs. But I guessed they would do anything to come up with a sellable article.

"That's not true. Sasuke and I are friends. We're also rivals but it's a healthy kind of rivalry. There is absolutely nothing bad going on between us." Sai glanced over to me, which was a way to urge me to support his statement.

"Sai is right. We even had dinner together after we were done with filming sometimes. We're far from being enemies." My last sentence was definitely something I would never have expected myself to say if it was to be in the past. I took a quick glance at Sai and saw a somewhat amused look on his face. I guessed he felt the same way as well.

"Do the two of you have anything else to say to your fans?" A reporter smiled as she asked what seemed to be the final question. I mentally sighed in relief and turned to Sai, asking him to speak first.

"I would like to use this chance to thank my fans for their continuous support and care. I apologize if my actions had caused misunderstandings in the past. Also, I will appreciate it if Sasuke's fans will respect the decisions he make with his life. As his fans, that will definitely be the best way to support him."

" _It seems that is Sai's nice way of saying 'don't poke your nose into my business.'"_ I smiled at my own thoughts before facing the reporters to answer the same question Sai did.

"What I wish to say is the same as Sai. I am thankful for my fans' continuous support from the start of my career up until now. But I will appreciate it even more if you won't bring harm to Sakura. Please believe me, Sakura will never do anything that will harm me or my career."

And after taking in a deep breath, I said one last thing that ended the press conference.

"And I love her."

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"That's so freaking romantic!"

"Stop shouting, Ino."

"He just declared his love for you on live television! How can you still remain so freaking calm?!"

I shook my head, realizing that there was nothing I could do to stop Ino from running around the ward while squealing over excitedly. Tenten was getting irritated by Ino's piercing voice and stood from her seat to calm her down.

I laughed looking at the two of them before looking back to the television. The press conference had ended and the crowds were dispersing. When I caught another glimpse of Sasuke, I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm so happy for you, Sakura." I removed my eyes from the screen and turned towards Hinata instead. The light shade of pink on her face showed that she was indeed feeling joyful. "I'm sure things will be alright from now on."

"Thank you, Hinata. I don't expect things to be perfectly fine, but I'm ready to face whatever lies ahead of me."

"That's the right spirit, forehead!" Ino exclaimed while wrapping an arm around my shoulder. She was so rough that I was sure she had forgotten about my injury.

The four of us spent the next few minutes just chatting around, mostly about Ino over-reacting and her saying that we were 'emotionless'. Our conversation came to a halt when the door to my ward opened.

My looked over to the door and saw that it was my parents.

Hinata stood up from the chair beside my bed and politely asked my mother to take a seat instead. My father stood beside my mother, looking at me with deep concern in his eyes.

"Your father and I saw the post you wrote and also Sasuke's press conference from a short while ago."

My mother glanced over at my father, as if looking for support, before she continued to speak.

"I can see that the two of you are sincere in supporting each other. However, I will be lying if I said I'm not worried anymore."

"Mother, please trust us." I placed my hands over my mother's, looking at her with determination in my eyes. "No matter what happens, the two of us will always protect each other."

"But-"

Before my mother could say another word, the door opened again. Without looking, I had a strong feeling as to who it was.

"Kizashi-san, Mebuki-san." Sasuke greeted my parents with a bow right after closing the door behind him. He gave me a quick smile before turning back to face my parents.

"I will protect Sakura and I mean what I said. I won't let something like this happen again."

Ino had to grab onto Tenten's arm to stop herself from squealing. Hinata's blush became deeper and she was looking at me delightfully.

I bit my bottom lip lightly, trying not to smile too widely during that somewhat tensed situation. I looked over to my parents and was glad to see that their expressions had softened.

They exchanged one last glance with each other before breaking into smiles. My father sighed a little before turning back to Sasuke.

"It's unreasonable of Mebuki and me if we will continue stopping the two of you to be together after all these."

I jumped out of my bed in an instant, startling my mother who was closest to me. Without any warning, I brought my parents into an embrace.

"Thank you so much!"

My parents laughed at how happy I was and pulled me into a tighter embrace. The three of us stayed that way for a while, just taking in the happiness in the air surrounding us.

Once I pulled away from my parents, I dashed towards Sasuke and gave him a bear hug I had wanted to give him ever since I saw him on TV. The very thought of Sasuke going all the way to hold a press conference to clear up the mess was enough to touch my heart.

"Thank you for everything you did for me, Sasuke."

"I want to say the same to you as well."

I pulled away to see Sasuke's face, wondering what his words meant.

"I read your blog already."

"You did?!" My face heated up immediately, feeling embarrassed knowing the fact that Sasuke read what I wrote about him. By then, a whole lot of people had already read my post but it felt different knowing that Sasuke did so too.

"It's nicely written." Sasuke commented with a small smile. I could see that he meant it and it made me blush even more.

Sasuke and I let go of each other when Ino cleared her throat. She was giving us a sly smirk as she spoke.

"The cheesiness in this room is getting unbearable."

I playfully glared at Ino before turning back to Sasuke, who seemed quite embarrassed as well. I intertwined my hand with his, feeling immensely blessed to have him with me once again.

And hopefully it would always stay that way.

* * *

Author's Note: The next chapter will most probably be the last one, unless I suddenly thought of something new. I feel sad knowing that this fanfic is going to end real soon. Anyway, please leave a review on your way out. Reviews mean a whole lot to me. Follows and favorites are very much appreciated as well! Suggestions are welcomed too. Thank you for reading and have a nice day ahead!


	21. Family

Author's Note: I'll be lying if I said I'm not sad this fanfic is coming to an end. But it's because of everyone's support that I made it this far! Thanks a lot for the beautiful reviews and suggestions, truly appreciate everyone's love for this fanfic. To all readers and followers, this happy writer hereby presents this fanfic's last chapter. Hope you'll like it!

Chapter 21: Family

* * *

 **Itachi's POV**

"Itachi Oji-chan, do you think my parents have forgotten about my birthday?"

"Don't be silly, Sarada. Your parents love you too much to forget such an important day."

I carried Sarada, my foolish younger brother and Sakura's only daughter, and threw her high up into the air before gracefully catching her into my arms. The adorable six years old girl would always smile whenever I did that.

It felt like it was only yesterday when Sasuke and Sakura finally tied the knot, after dating each other for over eight years.

 _ **Flashback to 8 years ago**_

"Can you calm down, Sasuke? This room is filled with your screwed up tension!"

"Shut up, dope."

I smirked upon hearing Naruto's much too accurate comment. Sasuke and Sakura's wedding ceremony was about to start and I was inside Sasuke's waiting room along with his closest male friends.

I swore I had never seen my younger brother looking so nervous, forehead covered with an obvious layer of sweat and palms clenched into fists.

Neji and Shikamaru didn't even bother to hide their amusement while Naruto just went on and on about Sasuke being a coward.

Just when Sasuke was about to snap and murder Naruto, Ino barged into the room filled with obvious anticipation and literally squealed as she spoke.

"The wedding ceremony is going to start in 15 minutes. I hope everyone is ready by now!"

I chuckled when I heard Sasuke took in a sharp breath, which didn't go unnoticed by everyone else in the room. Ino had to hold onto Shikamaru, who was her fiancée at that time, as she roared into laughter.

"You're as nervous as Sakura and I can't help but find it really funny!" Ino obviously didn't care about the glare Sasuke sent towards her and continued laughing hysterically. Naruto and Kiba joined as well, not even considering the fact that the groom was on the verge of starting a killing spree.

Seeing that I still had some time to spare, I left the room and decided to check on Sakura. Judging from Ino's words, she might not be doing very well.

My guess was proven to be right when I opened the door to the room where Sakura was.

Her face reflected severe nervousness and Hinata's comforting wasn't enough to calm her down. The pink-haired bride looked stunning in his white lacy wedding gown but that didn't seem to help her gain enough confidence to stay composed.

I walked over to my soon-to-be sister-in-law and greeted her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped a little in her seat when she heard my voice.

"You can do this, Sakura. Just relax." I leaned against a nearby wall with my arms crossed in front of me as I smiled at the nervous bride, who had been sighing every now and then.

"I'm scared that I'll somehow make a fool out of myself and end up embarrassing Sasuke." Sakura sighed yet again and I could see that Hinata and Tenten gave each other worried looks.

I placed a hand over Sakura's shoulder and my next words weren't said to comfort her, but they were the truth I believed in.

"I have watched you grow up into the successful woman you are today, Sakura. Trust me; you'll be perfect out there."

Ever since Sakura released her blog post about Sasuke years ago, she became famous in the cyber world. She gained the respect of many, including Sasuke's fans that used to despise her. As years passed by, her blog had become a platform for her to share her knowledge on the medical field, which had helped people in various ways. Sometimes, she would share her personal life experiences, which were always written beautifully.

And needless to say, in the real world, she had become a well-known doctor in Japan. It was Sakura I was talking about so I must say her success was not a huge surprise to me. After all, I had always known that she had great potential and she would always work hard towards her goals.

My younger brother was lucky to have Sakura as his wife and that was for sure.

"Thank you, Itachi."

I was relieved when I saw that Sakura had managed to let go of the tension inside of her. With one last smile, I left the room and head over to the venue of the wedding ceremony, which was on the beach of the resort we were in.

Sasuke was one of the most famous celebrities in Japan at that time, who had even gained fame overseas through his movies and TV dramas. However, Sasuke and Sakura wanted to keep their wedding simple so they only invited relatives and friends. Of course, the paparazzi found out about the location of the wedding but the staffs of the resort helped us made sure that none of them would enter.

I walked through the well-decorated venue and took in the wonderful scent of the fresh flowers surrounding the place. The whole place brought out a peaceful and elegant aura, making things even more special than it already was.

I took a seat beside my parents, who were obviously excited for the ceremony to start.

As for me, I had an indescribable sort of happiness inside me when I watched Sasuke and Sakura made their vows in front of everyone. They had definitely come a long way to reach where they were and from the way they looked into each other's eyes, anyone could see that their feelings were genuine.

And when they kissed, a statement just appeared in my mind.

Sasuke and Sakura would definitely be happy together for the rest of their lives.

 _ **End of Flashback**_

Sarada was holding onto the teddy bear I bought for her as I carried her from the garden to the living room, where my parents were watching TV. Once I placed Sarada back onto the floor, she rushed towards her grandparents and gave them the biggest bear hug she could manage.

My mother sewed a light pink scarf for Sarada while my father bought her a necklace made of white gold. There was a pendant in the shape of our family's crest hanging on the necklace, which looked perfect on Sarada.

With a much too adorable addition to our family, the atmosphere became more harmonious and livelier as well. And seeing all this made me consider forming a family of my own.

" _Yes, maybe I should."_

A smile formed on my face at the very much unexpected thought in my mind.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"Sakura, are you ready to go? I'm already in front of the hospital."

"I just finished a surgery, I'll be right there in five minutes."

I hung up my phone call with Sasuke as I rushed to my office. I took off my white coat and hung it around my chair before packing my stuff into my handbag.

Today was our daughter's birthday and as always, Sasuke and I were just so busy with our respective careers. But every year on this very special day, the two of us would always make sure we could spend time with Sarada.

Despite the well-known fact that my husband and I were workaholics, our love for our precious daughter was so strong that we promised to spend as much time with her as possible.

I left the room after quickly changing into a light blue blouse and a black pencil skirt. I bid goodbye to my colleagues whom I met as I walked through different hallways to get to the lobby, where Sasuke was waiting for me.

Today had been an exhausting day so I couldn't help but pull Sasuke into a tight hug when I saw him leaning against his shiny black car.

"Rough day today?" Sasuke stroked my long pink hair with one hand while the other was wrapped around my waist. Even though we were already in our early 30s, I would sometimes feel like a teenager all over again whenever Sasuke showed his sweet side. It sounded silly but none of us minded that anyway.

"Kind of." And as much as I enjoyed staying in Sasuke's embrace, I pulled away and urged him to get into the car. "It's already 6 PM, let's go!"

I rushed into the car and Sasuke did the same. It was obvious that the two of us couldn't wait to see our daughter.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Happy birthday, Sarada."

Seeing your daughter running to you for a hug after a long day at work was more than enough to make a father forget how tired he was. Once I stepped into the living room, Sarada came over to me and I carried her into my arms.

Sakura reached towards our daughter and kissed her on the cheek and I did the same to the other side.

"Happy birthday, Sarada!" Sakura ruffled Sarada's dark hair, which made the little girl in my arms giggled.

"I thought the two of you forgot about my birthday." Sarada's smile was overflowing with happiness as she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck, planting a soft kiss on my cheek before giving another to Sakura.

"We will never forget such a special day." Sakura said as she playfully pinched our daughter's cheek.

Most people knew that I wasn't the smiling type. Even those closest to me didn't see me smile or laugh often. I felt like I had softened much more ever since I realized I had fallen in love with Sakura. But once Sarada came into our lives, I found myself smiling even more often than I thought was possible.

Our daughter was definitely one of the best presents Sakura and I could ever have.

"I'll carry Sarada back to her room. The two of you had a long day so you better go take a shower and rest for the night."

Itachi, being the considerate older brother as always, offered to bring Sarada back to her room so Sakura and I could take a much needed shower. My parents, Itachi, Sakura and I were chatting at the living room after dinner when we realized that the birthday girl had fallen asleep on the sofa. She must be tired from talking so much during dinner.

Sakura and I thanked Itachi before heading back to our room. I received an unexpected call from Naruto while Sakura was in the bathroom.

The first thing I heard when I picked up the call was Naruto shrieking my name at the top of his lungs.

"You don't need to break my eardrums, dope." I figured that there were some things that just wouldn't change no matter how many years had passed. Naruto was still that annoying and loud friend whom I couldn't ignore no matter how much I wanted.

"Are you free tomorrow, teme?" And as usual, Naruto didn't bother to listen whenever someone asked him to keep his voice down. He still spoke louder than necessary and I rolled my eyes, knowing that there was nothing I could do to change that part of that blonde friend of mine.

"I am. What do you want?" It was rare for me to have a day off on a Sunday and I was hoping Naruto didn't have a plan that could ruin my holiday.

"There's going to be a reunion party at our old school tomorrow. I've wanted to inform you and Sakura about this for some time already but the two of you had been so busy and neither of you picked up my calls! Anyways, most of the alumni will be there."

I thought for a while and was about to agree to the plan when Naruto said something that made me change my mind.

"Bring Sarada as well! Boruto has been missing her a lot and is bugging me to bring him to your house. He'll be so happy if he knows Sarada is going tomorrow too! The other kids will be there as well, by the way."

I wasn't an overprotective father and I would be very happy if my daughter could make many friends. However, Naruto and Hinata's son, Boruto Uzumaki, was a different story. It simply pissed me off whenever he tried to get close to Sarada. And no, even though Sakura kept on insisting that I was being overprotective, I definitely was not.

Just when I was going to say I wasn't going tomorrow, Sakura came out from the shower in her light pink robe and was using a towel to dry her hair. She walked over to me and asked me who I was calling.

"It's the dope."

Knowing that it was Naruto, Sakura took the phone from me and spoke to our loud friend.

"There's a reunion party tomorrow? That sounds fun! It's not every time that Sasuke and I are free on the weekend."

I groaned as Sakura spoke enthusiastically with Naruto about our plans for tomorrow. Images of Boruto chasing Sarada around annoyed me to no end.

And for the thousandth time, it wasn't because I was an overprotective father. Being overprotective was just so unlike my personality.

"We'll meet at the Konoha Academy at 10 AM tomorrow then. I'll definitely bring Sarada along. See you tomorrow, Naruto!"

"We're not going." I spoke right after Sakura hung up and placed my phone on the nightstand. She raised an eyebrow at me and placed both hands on either side of her hips. She narrowed her eyes at me as she questioned my decision.

"What is it this time, Sasuke?"

"Boruto is going to be there tomorrow."

My answer made Sakura slap her forehead while grunting in annoyance. She looked like she had a strong urge to beat me up or punch me on the gut but instead; she took a deep breath before walking towards me.

Once she was close enough, she placed her hands on my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes.

"Stop being so overprotective, will you?"

"I am not being overprotective, Sakura."

Sakura rolled her eyes, let go of me and resumed drying her hair. She spoke as she walked towards the bed.

"You can continue denying that for as long as you want. But Boruto is such an adorable child. He is like the mini version of Naruto!"

"And that is exactly why I don't want him getting close to our daughter. Can you imagine what she will grow up into if a mini version of Naruto sticks around her?"

"Sasuke Uchiha, you grew up with the actual Naruto."

And with that said, my lovely wife had left me speechless and defeated.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

It had been forever since everyone had gathered together.

Everyone had been too busy living their respective lives and with new additions to their families, the free time in their hands became lesser than it already was.

Naruto and Hinata were happily married with two children, Boruto and Himawari. Naruto was as loud as ever but I guessed that was something that would never change. Hinata, on the other hand, had grown to be a more confident woman.

As for Ino and Shikamaru, they settled a few months after Sasuke and I got married. They had a son, Daiki Nara, who was just two weeks older than Sarada. A few weeks ago, I received a call from Ino while I was in the hospital and I literally squealed when she told me that she was expecting their second child.

And there was Tenten, who was spoiled endlessly by the Hyuuga prodigy. I would never have expected the stoic Neji to be quite the romantic lover.

I guessed having a child of their own would eventually melt the hearts of expressionless prodigies.

Lee had become a well-known martial artist while Kiba was living a perfect life with the veterinary hospital he owned with his older sister. I wasn't very close to Chouji and Shino, but I heard they were doing great too. Everyone was happily married and had little kids running around in their house.

The best part was, all of our children were attending the same school, which was no other than our alma mater; Konoha Academy.

Years worth of memories came flooding in once I stepped inside Konoha Academy together with Sasuke and Sarada. Itachi was an alumnus as well but he left the house earlier with his old classmates.

Every classroom and corner I passed would remind me of something from the past, making me smile or giggle in a silly way. Sasuke seemed to be reminiscing our school days as well, while holding tightly onto Sarada's hand.

The reunion party was held at the school's garden, which was already packed with familiar faces when we got there. I felt excited almost instantly when I caught sight of people whom I used to meet almost every day back in my school days. Being in the midst of all my old schoolmates definitely made me miss my life when I was younger. But when I looked at the adorable little girl I was holding onto and the man I loved unconditionally, I had never been so glad I was living in the present.

"Sarada!"

Boruto's voice was loud, which was an exact copy of his father's. I couldn't help but laughed when I saw Sasuke tensing up upon hearing the voice of his little 'enemy'. Things became funnier when I noticed that Sasuke had tightened his grip around Sarada's tiny hand.

Thinking back to my impression on Sasuke in the past, I would never imagine that he could turn out to be such an overprotective father.

When Sasuke was busy trying to make sure Boruto didn't get too close to his baby daughter, our friends had noticed us and were heading over.

Ino screamed in that infamous high pitched voice of hers as she squeezed me in one of her bear hugs. Such a reaction from Ino was to be expected though because we didn't meet for over a month, which was a very long time considering the fact that we used to hang out at least twice a week before. Tenten and Hinata excitedly joined the hug, turning it into a group hug which brought some tears in my eyes.

Being preoccupied with my tight schedule, I never realized that I had missed my friends very badly. And having them with me at that time reminded me of how happy I was whenever they were around.

"I feel like it has been forever since the four of us hung out!" Ino stated with a frown as we broke the hug to catch some breath.

"Let's all try to hang out more often from now on." I said enthusiastically as I began to think of places the four of us should go soon.

"Says the busiest one of us all." Ino pouted, making Hinata and Tenten tease her for acting like a child.

"Sorry." I scratched the back of my head, feeling guilty for not sparing enough time for my friends. I quickly made a promise before I would further annoy my pregnant friend. "I will definitely make sure I will have more time to hang out!"

Ino was going to complain again but Shikamaru came to her and placed his hand around his wife's waist. He reminded her not to over-exert herself so she wouldn't be too tired by the end of the day. What Shikamaru did was simple and yet, it was such a lovely sight to witness.

I left Ino to openly flirt with her husband and chatted idly with Tenten. Hinata was in the middle of comforting Himawari, who had scalded her tongue because her father fed her hot ramen. I didn't even want to begin to wonder why Naruto brought ramen to our reunion party in the first place.

He just appeared out of nowhere in a very panicky state while carrying his crying daughter in his arms. And it definitely was very rare to see Hinata frown and scolding Naruto.

"I'm sorry, Hinata! Don't be mad at me!"

Tenten and I laughed when Naruto was begging Hinata for forgiveness with teary eyes. I even caught a glimpse of Neji smirking as he watched the scene between his cousin and Naruto.

Neji and Tenten's son, Haruto Hyuuga, was sitting on his father's shoulders. He was the same age as Boruto and Sarada but was considered much calmer than the two of them. That was to be expected from Neji's son though.

After a short conversation with Neji and Tenten, I left to look for Sasuke. He seemed to have successfully asked Boruto to stay away from Sarada because I saw the blonde little boy playing with Kiba and Lee's sons instead. I even spotted Daiki among the children and also Chouji and Shino's daughters but there was no sign of Sarada.

I walked around the garden and smiled when I saw Sasuke and Sarada by the fountain, which wasn't there when I was still in high school.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Sasuke turned around when he heard my voice. Sarada seemed very comfortable being carried by her father and didn't look like she had any plans on getting down any time soon.

"Boruto was shouting too much so I brought Sarada here to rest her eardrums."

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to take Sasuke's reason literally or not but I ended up laughing at how ridiculous it sounded.

"The three of you look like a really happy family."

The familiar sound behind us made my heart beat in anticipation and excitement. I turned around hurriedly and smiled brightly when I saw it was whom I thought it was; Kakashi-sensei.

The last time I saw him was during mine and Sasuke's wedding. I was really glad and touched when I found out that Kakashi-sensei was actually on time that day. I thanked him after the ceremony was over for breaking his habit of being tardy for our ceremony.

I remembered shedding a tear or two when he said he was proud of us. It meant a lot more than he thought so.

"It's been a long time, Kakashi-sensei!" I was so happy to see my old teacher again that I didn't care if I looked silly with my wide smiles.

"Time sure flies fast." I could see Kakashi-sensei's smile behind his mask as he spoke. "Look at how much your daughter has grown."

Sasuke walked closer to Kakashi-sensei so Sarada could introduce herself.

"Hello. My name is Sarada Uchiha. Nice to meet you." Sarada reached out her hand for a handshake with a smile on her face.

"Hello there, Sarada. I am Kakashi Hatake, a teacher from Konoha Academy. You attend this school, right?"

Sarada nodded in response to Kakashi-sensei's question. Our old homeroom teacher smiled before speaking again, "I'm looking forward to become your teacher in the future."

"I hope you're looking forward to have Naruto's son as your student as well." Sasuke's words made me giggle again, which didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi.

"Is he a potential troublemaker?" Kakashi-sensei asked with apparent curiosity and slight excitement.

"He is like the carbon copy of Naruto Uzumaki." Sasuke didn't directly answer Kakashi-sensei's question but his words were clear enough.

The three of us just laughed about it while Sarada looked at us in confusion. Kakashi-sensei sighed contently before looking at us with his usual unreadable gaze.

"It felt like it was only yesterday when Sakura refused to bring handouts to Sasuke. A lot had changed from that day, hadn't it?"

Kakashi-sensei's words made me remember how much I used to despise Sasuke. Much had changed drastically but it was definitely for the better. With one last smile, Kakashi-sensei left us and walked to where the other teachers were gathered.

Sarada was giggling to herself as Sasuke and I silently expressed our love to each other while smiling with pure happiness. I recently found out Itachi had told Sarada how Sasuke and I got together. Our little girl pulled Sasuke and I into a hug and the two of us kissed her on each side of her cheeks. After another round of giggles, Sarada said the exact same thing we had in our minds.

"Who would have known a single visit led to great changes?"

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

Author's Note: It really ended! (cries in the corner) I really hope everyone loves this chapter and this fanfic as a whole. I still have ongoing Sasuke/Sakura fanfics right now and I will be very happy if you will check it out as well. Please review and add this fanfic as your favorite. It will make this writer super duper happy! Thank you so much for supporting Guilty Pleasures and see you on my other fanfics!


End file.
